“The Shape of Happiness”
Concept | Pulling inspiration from classic narratives of children’s adventures and growing up, Toni has pulled aspects of her own identity and childhood to create a collection of four looks. Happiness often stems from childhood memories and of the self exploration that comes with growing older. For Toni, some of the happiest memories came from her time being raised on a reservation. As a child, the borders of these spaces seemed finite, and thus served to create a haven from the outside Euro-American world. Over time, these imposed barriers began to slowly deteriorate, introducing different exterior cultural and societal pressures manipulating and changing the shape of her childhood experience. There are positive and negative impacts that this has on the individual level. However, when one thinks more broadly, this smaller example speaks to the larger impact that colonialism and Western expansion has had on indigenous experiences over the course of human history. This collection aims to confront these concepts through the experience of one child’s journey.
Bio | Toni Villasneñor-Marchal is a working artist and fashion designer in Chicago, bringing with her all facets of the identity and culture that she has curated within herself over a lifetime. Raised on a Native American reservation in Wisconsin, she was taught from a young age the importance of community, culture, and the understanding of oneself and one’s role in the greater scheme of things. Thus, it is her goal to always create art that speaks to her own personal identity. Toni confronts the intersections of culture and identity through her work in the realms of installation, performance, and object and garment design.