Urban Camouflage actively subverts consumer culture by passively partaking in it. The project was begun in 2007 by Sabina Keric and Yvonne Bayer during their time as students at Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts, and Design in Sweden. The outfits are inspired by ghillie suits, the camouflage suits of snipers and hunters. I just love how in the video almost none of the store shoppers even notice the human-sized glove mounds standing by, not even when they shuffle into the check out line. Unbelievable. (Or not.)
Urban Camouflage deals with the question [of] how to camouflage oneself and one’s identity in the commercial space … The commercial space is a clean and untouched area. Usually there are no artistic activities. The customer expects nothing out of ordinary in a world of brands and price labels. Our project exceeds the limit and enters the world of commerce without any permission … The reactions were different. Most employees reacted humorously, but we had some trouble with the management as well and had to quit some actions earlier than we wanted to. The reactions of customers were also very different. Some were interested and tried to touch the costume, others reacted irritated and stayed in some distance. There were also customers who ignored us completely.
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