The Uncanny in Art and Fashion

The uncanny is a strong psychological phenomenon first discussed by Sigmund Freud, which is the feeling of discomfort experienced by something familiar and simultaneously something alien. This contradiction is one of the central aspects of art and fashion because it enables artists to explore the inner world of the human mind. Artists and designers disrupt our views of the familiar, self, and subconscious apprehensions by introducing audiences to disturbing forms of the familiar. Freud defined the uncanny as an upsetting reappearance of the repressed that usually takes the form of a double or Doppelganger, further clarifying the borderline between the real and the imaginary. Such an underlying uneasiness causes the uncanny to be mysterious and seductive, offering a means by which creators can explore the inner turmoil and fears in all of us. 

Figure 1: Figure 1. The Uncanny in Art and Fashion  

The Uncanny in Art 

Artists have employed the uncanny to materialize the intangible and discredit the usual mode of thought. 

Surrealism: Artists such as Salvador Dali, Hajime Sorayama and René Magritte are the masters of unease. They invent surrealistic scenery where objects are in strange arrangements, distorted views, and symbolic images to create a feeling of displacement. They cause the viewers to doubt their own unconscious and inner world. They also put the objects we know in unexpected situations, making us use our logical perception of reality and confront the absurd.  

Figure 2: Hajime Sorayama’s “Monroe” 

Modern Art: Uncanny is exploited by contemporary artists to create intricate themes of identity. An example is Cindy Sherman, who relies on self-portraiture to make a hazy distinction between the real and artificial. Through her transfiguration to other characters, she is critical of the usual conception of identity and gender, leaving us in doubt over what is genuine and what is made up. 

In these ways, artists create a sense of dislocation that forces the viewer to explore their psyche's darker, more disturbing aspects. The uncanny does not simply concern itself with trying to make art look weird; it is what employs that weirdness to cause a deep sense of self-reflection. 

Figure 3: Paul X Johnson Illustration 

The Uncanny in Fashion 

Fashion, just like art, revolves around the idea of the uncanny to break the existing rules and redefine beauty. Designers do more than merely make clothes; they create strong statements and immersive experiences that make people experience them and feel strong emotions. They turn the familiar into something strange, and by doing so, they compel us to question our views about who we are, what beauty is, and even our mortality. 

An excellent example is Alexander McQueen, who is a real avant-garde pioneer. He hit the right chord between the beautiful and the frightening in his work, making clothes with alarming beauty. His works had a thin border between appeal and repulsion, engaging and repelling viewers simultaneously. McQueen's theatrical runway shows were not simple fashion shows, but instead permitted to immerse into the themes of mortality, fragility, and the darker side of human nature. Through his work, viewers were motivated to question their greatest fears, and fashion was one way they could look into their depths. 

Figure 4: Photographer AJuan Song 

The same applies to Rei Kawakubo, the founder of Comme des Garçons, who has also developed her career based on the radical deconstruction of clothes. She is opposed to classical silhouettes and rules of beauty, being encouraged to use asymmetry, disproportion, and ambiguity. Her designs break the existing dress codes and social norms and make clothing a conceptual art form. The work of Kawakubo gives us an unclear and disruptive sensation that causes us to doubt our traditional ideas of elegance and fashion. She crosses the boundary between fashion and art, showing that clothing could be an effective instrument of intellectual and emotional provocation that can force us to rethink what and why we cherish. 

Figure 5: Zuboros (@Zuboros) 

Crossing the Thickets: Cross-disciplinary Partnerships 

In modern society, the divisions between art and fashion have been growing more vague, and the notion of the uncanny is frequently used as a leading motif. Such interdisciplinary working experiences produce immersive experiences that go beyond conventional forms by integrating the worlds of high fashion, visual art, and photography. Through the combinations of these creative professions, designers and artists stretch the boundaries of their respective crafts to produce something innovative and provocative. 

The most notable is the renowned collaboration between Louis Vuitton and the avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama. Incorporating Kusama's polka-dot motif into Louis Vuitton's collections effectively broke the separating line between high fashion and fine art. The partnership resulted in not only apparel but also clothing as wearable art through which a wider audience could participate in Kusama's unique art concept. It made luxury items a cultural expression that questioned the way we understand fashion and art. 

Likewise, fashion photography has become a strong tool for delving into the uncanny. Such surrealistic aesthetics are used by photographers, such as Tim Walker, to create humorous and uncanny narratives. Walker's work borders on fiction and reality and creates fantastic worlds that amaze and disorient the viewer. His photographs are not just product shots; they are visual narrations that stretch the limits of perception. These partnerships demonstrate how the various senses of art can work together to produce something new, something innovative, and something alarming, and that creativity flourishes when conventional lines are crossed. 

Figure 6: The Uncanny Resemblance Between Fashion and Art - Macau Lifestyle 

The Uncanny as a Catalyst for Growth 

Finally, the uncanny is an effective imaginative instrument enabling artists and designers to explore the inner depths of the human mind and push the limits of perception. Through haunting visuals, unusual structures, and troubled stories, creators provoke us into confronting our inner fears, desires, and anxieties. This artistic and fashion-driven exploration compels us to see past the surface and experience more of the deeper, more frequently uncomfortable part of the human experience. Moreover, the uncanny serves as a significant catalyst for innovation. It also allows artists to explore new horizons, encouraging them to take risks and be unconventional. Through the interdisciplinary cooperation, the uncanny still causes the boundaries between the various creative disciplines to be lost. This indicates that the human mind is a complex and enigmatic place. Even what we think of the world is hardly easy, and that sense of unease that we experience when the uncanny is felt shows us how fascinating, yet so disturbing, that just beneath the surface of what we know lies in mystery. 

References 

Yu, A., & Suh, S. (2015). Expressive Methods of Uncanny Image in Contemporary Fashion. Journal of the Korean Society of Costume, 65(6), 99-111. 

Kokoli, A. M. (2016). The feminist uncanny in theory and art practice. The Feminist Uncanny in Theory and Art Practice, 1-240. 

Wilson, E. (2004). Magic Fashion. Fashion Theory, 8(4), 375-385. 

Melchiondo, M. W. (2023). The Synthetic Uncanny: Grotesque Aesthetics in Artificial Intelligence Art. 

Broad, T., Leymarie, F. F., & Grierson, M. (2020). It is amplifying the uncanny—arXiv preprint arXiv:2002.06890.