Photographer Sara Shamsavari:
"The aim of this project is to highlight and celebrate this generation of Sikhs, both men and women, who proudly wear their dastaar and incorporate that with the western style and with the popular cultural influences.
Displacement is becoming more and more common place and this work is relevant because it's asking the audience to understand those who are different from themselves."
Sukhmani Kaur: "It's really, really important to reach the general public that it's not only Sikh men who wear dastaars but also Sikh women. By wearing the dastaar you're representing your guru and you're representing the heritage."
Sara Shamsavari’s Dastaar: Fitting In and Standing Out exists to highlight this generation of male and female Sikhs as individuals who contribute to the richness of British society. They exemplify the idea becoming part of society whilst remaining visibly Sikh as they wear turban. Yet their style reflects Sikh culture, British culture and an array of popular cultural influences.
The project aims to emphasise the complexity of identity in a cosmopolitan city like London where cultures influence each other and like Shamsavari's previous projects Dastaar is inspired by the idea of transforming prejudice and misunderstanding in to something new and beautiful.
