While coming home . Waldviertel . 2018 .

This project is a collaboration between the artist Mael Blau and photographer Michèle Yves Pauty.

Born in Lower Austria, Mael Blau began experimenting with his*her apparel early on, wearing unusual patterns and colour combinations, taking his*her oversized teddy bear as an accessory to school, and unintentionally questioning the way of clothing and beauty. We journeyed back to where he*she was born and raised, visiting places from his*her childhood, recreating the shapes of the landscape with a style that has developed over the years. In a way, it was sort of a homecoming project, without really getting to a place called home.

Mael does not define him*herself as male or female, nor does he*she appreciate the categories imposed by culture and society when it comes to clothing. Unknowingly, he*she deconstructed the classification or the “code” of male and female dressing. Not only was he*she not aware of the code, but he*she simply followed his*her instincts and dressed as he*she desired, both back then and today. However, today the code still exists.