“Chic Point” ponders “fashion for Israeli checkpoints.” Set to the backdrop of a rhythmic beat, men model one design after another. Zippers, weaved nets, hoods, and buttons serve as the unifying theme of exposed flesh. Body parts–lower backs, chests, abdomens – peek through holes, gaps, and splits woven into ready-made silk and cotton shirts and robes. Raw materials and standard garments are transformed into pieces that emulate and question high fashion. The catwalk is juxtaposed with stills of one Palestinian man after another, lifting shirts, robes, and jackets at Israeli checkpoints. “Chic Point” brings together two contradictory worlds – one of high fashion and one of imposed closure – in a powerful reflection on aesthetics, the body, humiliation, surveillance, and freedom.
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