Fourth Piece Suit (The Apron) - fashion as a theological medium
[response to gender-based violence and heresies of power]
Fourth Piece Suit is a line of men's four-piece suits that reinterprets contemporary fashion as a medium for theological expression. By incorporating the apron—a traditional symbol of service—into the three-piece "power suit," we challenge and elevate prevailing notions of authority.
The tradition of clerical attire has long been a vital aspect of theological expression in the church, tracing back to the carefully defined garments worn by Jewish priests. Today, we often overlook the potential for our everyday clothing to convey deeper meanings, allowing the male power suit to dominate our cultural landscape unchallenged. The apron serves as a stand-in for Jesus, who does challenge this. But Jesus does not merely offer an alternative theory of power; nor does he simply possess a different or larger share of power; Jesus is power, from whom all others borrow their power. Through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, he overturns our understanding of true power away from our slavish double belief that it comes through self-assertion and arrives in the form of control. Against this, Jesus reveals power as service, even self-sacrifice. The Fourth Piece Suit, therefore, serves as a theological garment, inviting men into a distinctly Christian discipleship characterized by humility and service, countering a culture that relentlessly tramples down the ‘other’ in its heretical misunderstanding of, fawning idolatry towards, and Sisyphian pursuit of power.
Traditional illustrated crucifixes include an additional panel added to the T shape in order to create space for more narrative details. This panel is traditionally referred to as ‘the Apron’.
Pareidolia, by Lucy Harland is a painting commissioned by Fer to accompany the Fourth Piece suit and feature within its photoshoot set.
About this painting, Lucy writes:
‘Pareidolia presents a series of white blocks on a black background which seem distinct until the negative space is focussed on by the viewer. At this stage, a 3D image of a crucifix appears out of the black background, and the white blocks come together to form the shadow sides of the 3D image.
The obvious visual abstraction of the crucifix invites the viewer to see the white blocks as separate images but also as part of a whole, mirroring the distinct elements of a suit within their synthesis. Through the process of pareidolia (the perception of apparently significant patterns or recognizable images, in random arrangements of shapes and lines), there is a fluctuation between these two perceptions of the image; separate and together, reinforcing the photoshoot’s aim to question what happens when potentially conflicting elements are unified.
The inversion of black and white (with white in the atypical position of shadow) hints at the inverted presentation of power/servitude in the shoot. The success of each colour in their deviant position reinforces the notion that black/white, suit/apron, power/servitude are false dichotomies, as they can function to produce the same outcome.’
Framing this piece within two wooden slats further suggests to the viewer of the crucifix through material (simply, it is wooden) and principle (it is accessible - not behind glass - and minimalistic - in itself simple, yet containing endless curiosity).
Finally, the black of the background fades around the edges to soften the image, something only seen when up close. This invites the viewer to move closer and to experience their own curiosity when fully in the presence of the image. An invitation of the crucifix and a characteristic of Fer.
Consequently, the fourth element of what could have been a 3-piece-image is revealed; black, white, wood and paper.