Tribal Fusion Fair 2010 – Review Part 1
So I went to the SLO Tribal Fusion Fair over the weekend and I have to say, I was struck by the uniformity I saw.
I don’t know why it bugged me so much this time, nothing has really changed at all. It’s just that I want some more fusion with my tribal fusion. Unfortunately, it seems the ATS aesthetic dominates and there’s just way more tribal than fusion going on.
I found myself burned out by Burning Man after a couple years for a similar reason. At first I loved it. But then it dawned on me, the sheer number of people who are supposedly “alternative” all wear the same look big Fuzzy coats, lame hot shorts, big stompy boots with braids and dreads galore. The colors could be day-glo or the neutral desert drabs, but the aesthetic is really very consistent.
I guess every scene is like that. There’s always a couple trail blazers that set the tone but I’m disappointed in finding that the alternative to mainstream is….well so very mainstream.
It’s a bummer because I love the aesthetic while I’m in the ordinary world. But at the SLO Tribal Fusion Fair I looked around and realized everybody had those tie in dreadlocks and with the same old giant silk flowers sprayed with glitter. It had been a few years since I last went to TribalFest and I thought….well honestly I thought there may have been something new by now.
I’ve loved my multi-colored deadlock extensions, but I’m taking my out for Tribal Fest 2011. No Question.
All the clothes at the SLO Tribal Fusion Fair had the same elements too; lots of retro burlesque/carnival influence, some steam-punk/Edwardian vibe or the Burning Man-esque desert nomad thing.
Leather utility hip belts are really hot, as well as the variations of it in fabric; they’re sort of hip holster/pocket thingies. Oh and hoods, I noticed hoods seemed like a trend. Maybe they’re a variation on the headscarf.
I came home thinking I want to throw out my bindi collection and that I’ll never be able to paint another bunch of henna dots around my eyes again. I looked at my collection of tribal style hip belts and chunky jewelery and do-dads and felt sort of defeated; like it was all just a bunch of junk and clutter.
Am I really the only person who feels a sudden urge to purge my closet of that big ol’ pile of crap that’s identical to everybody else’s pile of crap?
Dang! I hate to be all morose and everything, but in this day and age, with a million little subcultures that we seek to find our authentic selves in, it’s depressing to dream of escaping the mainstream world by going an event like Tribal Fusion, only to oneself lost in just another sea of conformity.
