The eve of the commencement of the fourth edition of the Kochi Muziris Biennale, Mattancherry, saw history being made. The historic town witnessed a parallel drawn between a larva emerging out of its cocoon and the transgender community defying societal odds to emerge as ‘models’ of confidence. 
A performative fashion show by trans-models, ‘FluidForms’, was organised at Gallery OED on Tuesday to provide an interactive interpretation of The Hashtag#Collective’s art installation ‘GenderFluid’. 

The art installation is a structure of human silhouettes created on framed glass panes. These silhouettes focus on gender fluidity and overcoming the gender binary. Before the start of the show, artist Parvathy Nayar of The Hashtag#Collective says, “We live in a more inclusive world that embraces change. We came together in the belief that we could pool our strengths and creative energy to create something larger than ourselves. To talk about the changing paradigms of society.” 

The installation is the collective effort by Parvathy, Biju Kuriakose, Abin Chaudhuri, Saira Biju and Neesha Amrish. The fashion show was a special preview of Neesha’s clothing line made of ahimsa silk ‘Aeshaane’. The show was divided into three segments: The Caterpillar, Chrysalis and The Butterfly. “In the caterpillar stage, the larva is on the move, consuming knowledge. During chrysalis, it is time to reflect and blend in. They are in a safe space to think, assess and just be without getting hurt.

The final stage is the emergence of the butterfly from the cocoon. Its wings are damp; they are still weak, blinking to the sudden change in light. Learning quickly, the final metamorphosis unfolds before one’s eyes. It is a celebration of all that is exuberant in life,” it was explained during the show. 

The choreography was inspired by silhouettes in the installation and how people - irrespective of their gender - float through the neutral garments. “Neesha who came up with the concept of a butterfly emerging from its cocoon as a parallel to the emergence of a transgender person from the bodies they were born in,” says Sunil Menon, fashion choreographer and founder of Sahodaran, an NGO working for the wellbeing of the LGBTQ community in Chennai. “The unisex feel of the garment with the installation felt like we were overcoming boundaries.” 

For the fashion show, the models donned garments designed in ahimsa silk patterned with handblock prints in bright colours. Created from cocoons without killing the larvae, the fabric is made out of broken threads. 

“The show also gives a dimensional wisdom that broken threads are not a bad thing. Fabrics of higher value are created out of them,” says Sunil.

The clothes the models wore also has a direct link to the life they have led. “We wait till the larvae emerge out of the cocoon. We make the silk using these cocoons. Likewise, we have drawn a parallel with the transgender’s life. They are inside a cocoon, holed up in their dark world. And they are fighting within themselves if they should emerge from the closets. When they find their little window, they come into the world and become beautiful butterflies just like my models,” says Neesha. 

Trans-models from Dhwayam (an NGO that works for the betterment of the transgender community) and Sahodaran modelled the clothes in the show choreographed by Sunil.  The art installation GenderFluid will be open to the public in Gallery OED till March.