No. 5 (2025)
Creative & reflective works

An Ekphrastic Essay: Ember (Imagined Artwork)

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  • Christian Thompson
Christian Thompson
RMIT University
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/fh-3660

Published 30-06-2025

Keywords

  • Aesthetic Resistance,
  • Australia,
  • aesthetics,
  • Colour,
  • Fashion and identity

How to Cite

Thompson, C. (2025). An Ekphrastic Essay: Ember (Imagined Artwork). Fashion Highlight, (5), 114–119. https://doi.org/10.36253/fh-3660

Copyright (c) 2025 Christian Thompson

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

This ekphrastic essay explores Ember, an imagined photographic triptych depicting a coiled, otherworldly figure set in a luminous red void. The central figure's long black hair, white floral adornments, gold-encrusted teeth, and dance-like posture evoke themes of survival, beauty, and cultural diversity. Drawing on visual analysis and symbolic interpretation, this essay weaves together elements of colour theory, Indigenous knowledge systems, and theories of fashion as resistance. Through a discussion of aesthetic strategies, land-based spirituality, and ornamentation, Ember is positioned as an altar of joy and resilience during toxic times.

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References

  1. Albers, J. (1963). Interaction of color. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
  2. Kawamura, Y. (2023). Fashion-ology: Fashion studies in the postmodern digital era. London, UK: Bloomsbury.
  3. Nakata, M. (2007). Disciplining the savages, savaging the disciplines: Indigenous studies and the academy. Canberra: Aboriginal Studies Press.