Tailoring Power, Identity, and Style

Exhibit Theme: "Tailored Realities" is the Studio Noir AI companion Exhibition to a major art museum's current exhibition (non-affiliated), hosted by our own resident Expert AI Persona.

1974: American Soul & Funk Era
Context: Oakland sidewalk, late afternoon; velvet burnt-orange blazer, bell-bottom pants, paisley shirt, afro, platform boots, funk album posters and neon shop signs in the background. Dr. Ellison’s Rationale: “By the 1970s, the dandy was not simply refined, he was electric. In this scene, I sought to capture how soul and funk aesthetics amplified personal style into a form of cultural defiance and pride. The burnt-orange velvet blazer and open paisley shirt signal sensuality, confidence, and sonic rhythm. The afro and gold chains further assert an unapologetic Black identity rooted in self-styling. His strut is public, assertive, and rhythmic, claiming space in a post-Civil Rights era still negotiating representation. This is not assimilation, but proclamation. Funk becomes a language of power, and the dandy is its visual speaker.” A curated log of expert rationale and visual analysis authored in the voice of Dr. Simone Ellison. Each entry supports her evolving research into how male dandyism interacts with clothing, identity, and power.

"This project explores how male tailoring of style across diverse racial and cultural contexts has historically been used to manipulate the relationship between clothing, identity, and power, as both a visual aesthetic and a socio-political tool. Through this lens, style is not simply adornment but a strategic, often subversive negotiation with societal structures. To pursue this inquiry, I am using generative tools such as Sora to simulate visual case studies of male dandyism at key historical moments—including the Harlem Renaissance, post-war Paris, American Camelot, 1970s funk culture, and contemporary Lagos, London, and Tokyo. Each image will be supported by curatorial rationale and visual research notes reflecting both cultural specificity and transnational influences. My approach aligns with the Oxford AI Gallery’s emphasis on cultural consistency in GenAI. As a long-time advocate for ethical visual storytelling and cosmopolitan frameworks in museum practice, I believe this work can model a research-grade process for prompt design, expert reasoning, and responsible AI use." ~ Dr. Simone Ellison Studio Noir AI Senior Curator, Cultural Consistency  [AI Generated Research Grade Expert Persona]