Stanchion Ropes

Kuwait, 2024

The idea for this photographic series comes from the absurdity of the stanchion ropes, also known as VIP ropes. The premise is based on the formation of a psychological authority by a physical barrier that shouldn't be crossed or broken and which therefore normalises an imaginary hierarchy. The ropes are usually made from velvet and attached between two gold metal stanchion barriers, and tend to influence perception by fabricating an illusion of class and formality. This propels a sense of status seeking, or a desire to be a part of an elite group, with the longing for recognition and the feeling of being more valuable than others. The absurdity stems from how these simple ropes become a physical manifestation of mental barriers producing the illusion of status and theatrical validation. In reality the illusion can be broken by simply stepping over this rope, illustrating how much of a pretense this barrier actually is.

In this work, I tackle the manipulative role that the velvet rope plays in the human psyche by projecting a feeling of importance. I do this by staging theatrical situations where the stanchion would feel out of place and mismatched to the implied status of the scenario it is in. The contrast aims to highlight the ridiculousness and absurdity of the illusion and urges a mental eradication of this imaginary fantasy of exclusivity.