A Past Adorned: The Function of Ornamentation in Early Human Societies

Cat Chirvase

A Past Adorned: The Function of Ornamentation in Early Human Societies explores ornamental objects as technology, outlining how adornment is intimately tied to the human condition and plays an active role in cultural formation. I aim to examine how adornments served as technological and cultural advancements in these early societies, demonstrating that these practices and objects transform the body, both physically and symbolically, contributing to the development of personal and collective identities by affecting cognition.

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    ABOUT THE DESIGNER

    A young woman with fair skin, long wavy auburn hair, brown eyes with winged eyeliner, a septum ring, a nose stud, and a heart-shaped philtrum piercing above a labret piercing, smiling subtly. She wears a dark shirt, and a partial tattoo of a stylized insect or spider is visible on her right arm. A large green parlor palm plant is on the left, with a bright window and a brick wall in the background.

    Cat Chirvase

    I am a Fashion Studies student exploring the intersections of fashion and anthropology. My research focuses on material culture and the ways artefacts can be used as analytical tools for studying identity and culture. I am particularly interested in ornamentation practices (jewellery, makeup, and body modification), especially within the context of early human history. My work is driven by an interest in how internal and external identities are constructed through fashion, how meaning is created in the development of culture and the relationship between the body and material objects. My process is interdisciplinary, drawing on history, anthropology, archaeology, fashion studies, philosophy, etc. I am always looking to combine theoretical research with close material analysis.

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