September,
2001 (detail)
©2001, Michael O'Rourke
A runway model. Our exquisitely human cultivation and appreciation of beauty.
Culture as a development of, refinement
of human longings - taking form here in the culture of fashion
.
The model is black. The people seen throughout the mural, including this model,
represent a cross-section of the ethnic and cultural diversity of New York City, and America
– the same diversity that apparently was so threatening to the attackers. The clothing the model is influenced
by Asian design and culture.
In its unabashed celebration
of the beauty of the female body, the long, sleek body and stylized pose of
the female model is in contrast to the repressive attitudes toward women of
the culture of those who attacked New York. The physical joys of our bodies,
sex, beauty, fertility, reproduction.
Note: We do not own the
rights to this image and so far been unable to locate either the designer
or photographer. If you have information about either, we would appreciate
passing that on to us. We use the shot temporarily as a stand-in; if necessary,
it will be replaced with a similar shot in the final composition.
