To an extent, technology has taken over. We rely on many tech tools and appliances to get us through the day from drying our hair to getting to work. Despite the many gadgets we have, there’s one that stands out: the smart phone. Some of us even claim that we can’t live without it. They hold our contacts, work emails, and cherished memories in photo and video form. Our phones have become such an important part of our lives that we keep it right on our bedside table, ready for us right when our eyes open in the morning. This all probably sounds normal to you by now but do you ever think what you look like when you bring your phone out of your pocket to take a selfie?
Designer Paria Farzaneh decided to put that into perspective with her latest collection “Here, Right Now.” The fashion show for this project took place at London Fashion Week: Men’s. Let’s start with the invitation for the show. It was a clear plastic bag that had the event details printed on. Along with a slot in the bottom that said, “Please place phone here.”
The show itself was experimental but also somehow familiar. According to Vogue, “There was a front door at the end of a darkened runway, with a boy in a bed behind it. Suddenly, the unmistakable, piercingly loud, universally despised sound of an iPhone alarm went off. The boy got up, stepped through the door and onto the ‘street,’ phone in his hand.” Instead of using a conventional runway, a conveyor belt was used.
Every time a model would step foot on the belt, they would hold up a phone and start to take selfies and videos while the audience documented it. Now this is some Black Mirror sh*t. At the end of the conveyor belt were “transparent plastic curtains of a room that looked like a sterile decontamination unit.”
Paria wanted to point out, “It’s the mundanity of it. The alarm we all have. The conveyor belt we’re all on. People aren’t thinking what’s going on. I just wish people would put their phones down, start looking each other in the eye, and start talking.” Let this serve as reminder for everyone. Remember when it was considered rude if you didn’t make contact when talking to someone? Now, we have full conversations without even lifting our heads.
This commentary on our obsession with screen time is just what we needed. It gave us a glimpse of what our daily looks like from a different perspective. It reminds us to detach but connect in a way that’s more real and tangible. If this hasn’t made you reconsider the way you treat your life online, I don’t know what will.
Art by Marian Hukom
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