Tatyana Winfield
Materiality
/ˈperəˌsīt/
Parasite /ˈperəˌsīt/ an organism that lives in or on an organism of another species (itshost) and benefits by deriving nutrients at the other’s expense. Though rooted and recognized as a biology term the core of this definition carries layered social meaning beyond scientific understandings. Parasite /ˈperəˌsīt/ (Derogatory) a person who habitually relies on or exploits others and gives nothing in return. Now, no longer just a descriptor of organisms that thrive at another’s expense but sharp moral judgement of human behavior, that claims and labels individuals as invasive and dependent. These societal implications within both definitions become intertwined with ideas of things with similar grotesqueness to the idea of the parasite:
Would my (minority) body be considered invasive in a colonized world? What does my body become dependent on to strengthen my sense of identity and belonging?
Intertwined with questions about how bodies feel and are perceived as invasive, forces the minority body to be a symbol of parasitism and invasion. This unsettling relationship of the minority body and parasitism proves to be a direct reflection of the unsettling dynamics of clothing and the body as parasite and host, a relationship that is both symbiotic and abundant with tension. The body becomes dependent on clothing for identity, protection, and expression, while clothing relies on the body to bring life and create meaning.
Photography - Jersey Benjamin
Intertwined with questions about how bodies feel and are perceived as invasive, forces the minority body to be a symbol of parasitism and invasion. This unsettling relationship of the minority body and parasitism proves to be a direct reflection of the unsettling dynamics of clothing and the body as parasite and host, a relationship that is both symbiotic and abundant with tension. The body becomes dependent on clothing for identity, protection, and expression, while clothing relies on the body to bring life and create meaning.
Photography - Jersey Benjamin
collaging became an artistic action that mirrored the process of parasitism as it enables the creation of hybrid forms - visual organisms that rely on the juxtaposition of disparate elements to construct a new but familiar, cohesive narrative. This mirrors the ways parasites depend on their hosts and invites critical questions: How do parasites function and survive, andhow can these habitats and actions inform the design of garments that mimic or challenge such reliance?
Bio
Tatyana Winfield is a multidisciplinary artist with a primary focus in fashion design. Her practice is rooted in using art as a way to digest the world around her and to manifest her place within it. She believes that the deepest form of learning comes through hands-on creation—a philosophy that drives her continual pursuit of skill, mastery, and self-expression.
Her work often explores themes of body distortion and concealment, using form and texture as metaphors for identity politics through the lens of Black womanhood. Through clothing, collage, and mixed media, she creates unsettling yet beautiful visual languages that challenge perception, embrace contradiction, and make space for complexity.