Evolving Identities: The Concept of Self-Identity and Self-Perception

For centuries psychologists, like Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung have discussed the concept of self-identity and self-perception. In social sciences, identity refers to an individual's or party's sense of who they are and what defines them. As the human condition, we have evolved to form an identity from social culture, environment, and sentience. As humans our identity is incessant, we are continuously advancing meaning our identity is never fully formed. Unlike other species, our consciousness to social behavior and etiquette allows us to form individuals with ever-evolving attitudes and interests. Although identity constitutes to the creation of greatness it can also be a being's hamartia. The constant battle with identity can consequently lead to the dismantling of the inner self. The internal dilemma could coherently amount to the breakdown of a person.

Born on the 24th of March 1960 Grayson Perry is an English contemporary artist who toys with the ideas of Britishness, gender, and religion. Perry is renowned for his giant tapestries and ceramic vases as well as his scrutinization of the contemporary art scene and for dissecting “prejudices, fashion, and foibles”. Eminent for his cross-dressing and his alto-ego ‘Claire’, Perry has constructed his own identity disregarding gender stereotypes and old fashion faux pas. Comfort blanket is a large tapestry created by Perry to encompass the morals the British people should be proud of. The piece allows Brits to come together to share the things they love but equally love to hate. Comfort Blanket creates a dialog of both the political scene in England but also the trivialities of British life. The tapestry ultimately doesn’t give an answer of what it means to be British, the piece is left open as being a Brit isn’t exclusive and therefore can not be concluded. From a young age, Perry has explored his own connection with gender to become his true self and ultimately made the sacrifice of social norms to pursue a life of honesty within his body.

Lee Alexander McQueen was born March 17th, 1969 in Stratford London where he grew up in a small council flat. He managed to gain an apprenticeship with Savile Row and went on to become a renowned British fashion designer. He later became a British designer of the year 1996, 1997, 2001, and 2003. McQueen was proud of his strong Scottish heritage and created a collection entitled ‘The Highland Rape’. The collection was not in fact a commentary on rape instead it was a visual narration of England's violation of Scotland. The artist felt torn between his dual identity. Unlike Vivienne Westwood who is famous for her glorification of The Highlands, McQueen gave a raw interpretation of the bloody and merciless past, he referenced Scottish customs with drama and symbolism. McQueen was openly gay, but intensely private about his personal battles and spoke through his creations. Throughout his work as a designer, you are able to see a vast range of emotions felt by McQueen. Due to his premature death in 2010, McQueen's work has fiercely highlighted the vulnerable nature of his designs over his remarkable career. His designs draw conclusions about how clothing can communicate an individual's identity intentionally and unwittingly.

Born on the 12th of March 1954, British Indian Sir Anish Kapoor is a sculptor and conceptual artist who specializes in installation pieces. Kapoor was born in Mumbai but has lived and worked in London since the early 1970s, he moved to study art at Hornsey College. Kapoor has been known for his double identity, exempt from the category obstinately refusing to fit into an identity box. The artist has two strong cultures associated with himself, however, he adopts a fluid identity, living within a grey area of his societal customs. One of Kapoor's most notorious sculptures is named “Cloudgate” and it inhabits in Chicago. Previously the sculpture has been a renowned tourist attraction, travelers and locals interact by taking selfies in “The Beans” peculiar mirrored surface. Kapoor stated that the original sculpture was about play and surface appearance, whereas now the sculpture is covered in Vanta black, a pigment developed by NanoSystems in the UK and is scientifically known to be the darkest substance known to man. The pigment absorbs 99.965% of physical light, which means when painted on objects they appear 2D. “Cloudgate” is now a reflection of disorientation and introspection whilst being encapsulated in a suffocating abyss. Much like Vanta Black as individuals, we absorb our identity from our surrounding environment. The use of pigment in Kapoor's work could be a strong metaphor for the theme of identity, the paint just like humans has no choice in what it consumes and therefore what it is eventually perceived as.

To conclude, ultimately an individual's identity can constitute to the positive making of a being, without regard to the implications and the inner battles that an individual can face when an identity creates a mental state of crisis. Designers comparable to Alexander McQueen are evidence of the tragedy and misfortune that identity has between an individual's values and perceptions. In the modern age, identity can be observed as being fragile, the exterior of a person is seen to be valued by artificial stardom and desperate grabs at attention. However, we are aware of the ramifications the digital age has created for the upcoming generations and are therefore now paying penance by seeing cracks in people's identities. Becoming lost and disorientated is a customary trait within the modern cohort.