HUMAN REVELATIONS (2024)

Human Revelations is a series of ten wearable paintings inspired by readings in modern epistemology, the philosophy of knowing, including essays by Bonnie M. Talbert, Matthew McGrath, and Jeremy Fantl on interpersonal understanding, memory preservation, and the influence of personal stakes. Each garment extends from the body in bold, soft sculpture forms, painted with abstract imagery and multiple interlacing faces to reflect the layered ways we perceive ourselves and others.

For the photoshoot, I collaborated with 20 individuals to bring these ideas into lived, visual form. Many scenes unfold in the darkness, allowing the garments to glow as luminous carriers of shared knowing, while others are set in bright light to reveal their painted intricacies. Almost no models meet the camera’s gaze; instead, their attention is turned toward invisible counterparts. When placed side by side, they appear to exchange glances and unspoken understanding, as if existing in the same moment despite being photographed apart. Welcome to a world where vivid color blooms in voids of darkness, where the act of truly knowing another person is both extraordinary and deeply familiar.

Featuring: Michael Hunziker, Indigo Amunategui, Samir Joshi, Christine Jung, Tarek Elbialy, Lillie Boero, Jess Piard, Will Armstrong, Shelby Roach, Will Elder, Tobi Pristupin, Peyton Moore, Keysha Patel, Maddix Cradlebaugh, Brooke Cowan, Carrie Becker, Maddy Crawford, and Marco Donohoe.

Somebody That I Used to Know, wearable art in photoshoot (acrylic on canvas, batting, bedsheet)

Inspired by Bonnie Talbert’s writing on how time and distance can dissolve our knowledge of others, this garment depicts two past selves smiling toward each other, embedded within their larger present-day forms. One figure has faded into a gray, eyeless shadow, seen from the perspective of the other, unsure of who this person has become. On the reverse, the past selves disappear entirely, leaving only a shadowy form touching the other’s face: a reflection on how we can’t know the people we lose contact with, only remembering their past shadows.

Residual Doubt, wearable art in photoshoot (acrylic on canvas, batting, bedsheet)

This wearable’s “double” figure captures the unease of high-stakes doubt: the gray-green figure’s shocked, gaping mouth becomes a hollow in the head of the figure below, as if carving away a piece of their mind. The work draws on the concept of pragmatic encroachment, which considers how what we “know” is shaped not only by truth, but by how crucial it is to be right. As McGrath and Fantl observe, this discomfort can persist even after a belief is proven false, leaving the possibility of error to quietly linger.

To Know and to Be Known By You, wearable art in photoshoot (acrylic on canvas, batting, bedsheet)

Two figures gently cup each other’s brains, their distinct colors, purple and yellow, blue and orange, overlapping like a Venn diagram. In these intersections, hues blend into green, and the brains open into swirling abstractions, symbolizing the exchange of mental states. This imagery draws from Talbert’s view that to be known, one must be willing to be vulnerable. When two people open themselves in this way, each is changed by the emotions, desires, memories, and perceptions they come to share.

I Feel Like I’ve Known You Forever, wearable art in photoshoot (acrylic on canvas, batting, bedsheet)

This piece explores how intense early interactions can create a false sense of truly knowing someone. The garment’s top corner shows two faces in an intimate moment: the golden face perceives their counterpart in warm colors, yet this is only a small part of the larger face and swirling hues that make up the whole person. As the viewer pieces the image together, reality becomes clear. I use color as a prism of emotion, reflecting how people’s “different colors” reveal themselves over time. While initial strong connections can be beautiful, they cannot replace the slow breadth of interaction needed to truly know someone, a balance Talbert emphasizes in her writing.

Worlds Apart, Can I Still Know You?, wearable art in photoshoot (acrylic on canvas, batting, bedsheet)

In our digital age, people are able to make connections online despite the shared world that in-person interaction creates. As Talbert notes, the farther we move from physical presence, the less likely we are to remain on the same wavelength, leaving space for false perceptions to form. This piece imagines that gap: a figure holds their phone as a larger-than-life character emerges from the screen, their face overlaid with a profile and text messages. Both smile, yet the person behind the screen remains ambiguous. On the reverse, the digital elements vanish, showing the figure holding the other’s face, believing, perhaps mistakenly, that they truly know them through a digital lens.

The Roller Coaster of Stakes, wearable art in photoshoot (acrylic on canvas, batting, bedsheet), (left)

This piece visualizes pragmatic encroachment—the way confidence in what we know shifts with the stakes involved. Inspired by McGrath and Fantl’s writing, the green, yellow, and red rollercoaster of faces reflects how our certainty twists and dips, much like the unpredictable turns of the ride itself.

First Impression Butterflies, wearable art in photoshoot (acrylic on canvas, batting, bedsheet), (right)

This piece reflects the beauty and nervous energy of wanting to be perceived well. Two figures push large faces toward each other, facades meeting in place of the people beneath, while shared colors hint that one’s true energy still shines through. The butterfly’s patterned wings, formed by organic shapes, represent the emotions, desires, and perceptions sparked in these first encounters, echoing Talbert’s reminder that we can never fully control how others interpret us.

The Library of My Mind, wearable art in photoshoot (acrylic on canvas, batting, bedsheet)

“Appropriately qualified, conservatism is no longer the powerful anti-skeptical tool some have hoped for, but a doctrine closely connected with memory” (Memory and Epistemic Conservatism, 1).

Drawing on McGrath’s concept of epistemic conservatism, the view that beliefs hold value unless compelling evidence overturns them, this piece imagines a library inside the mind. Each book on the shelf is a memory belief, arranged uniquely to reflect the psyche. The figure atop the ladder is an explorer who preserves the arrangement with care, aware that altering one book may shift the entire structure. Trust in these memories offers both stability and quiet liberation.

The Spectrum of Knowing You, wearable art in photoshoot (acrylic on canvas, batting, bedsheet)

This piece visualizes the varying degrees to which we know others, inspired by Talbert’s factors, frequency of interaction, openness, honesty, and accurate perception. Layers of an onion become faces, each new layer adding color and complexity as familiarity deepens. The first layer, in deep purple, reflects the guarded self of a first meeting, while lighter, multifaceted layers show how impressions evolve. On the reverse, the layers vanish, leaving only the dark purple, symbolizing the enigma of someone we merely know of.

Human Revelations Lovers, wearable art in photoshoot (acrylic on canvas, batting, bedsheet)

This photograph depicts two wearable garments, The Spectrum of Knowing You, and The Library of My Mind. The photoshoot features lovers, and together, the photograph represents how trust, memory, and vulnerability work in tandem to shape the bond between partners, emphasizing both the stability of mutual understanding and the freedom to embrace growth within a relationship.