The Stealth Corporation

‘The Stealth Corporation’ was a conception by the writer and journalist Bidisha. The art and literary publication was formulated as an A3 boxed set of two A4 magazines with an accompanying poster.

Commissioned to produce all front cover imagery, Fernandes devised a narrative inspired by the provoking, Channel 4 documentary ‘Beneath The Veil,’ June 2001. The programme’s documentation of the socio-political motivations of the anti-Taliban, feminist group RAWA (Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan), compelled him to fabricate a series of images that challenged the notions of the veil; its significance as an item of doctrine, and a symbol of protection.

By combining contemporary fashion pieces by recent graduates of Central Saint Martins and The Royal College Of Art, with customised military surplus, and items specific to eastern culture, Fernandes originated a styling that incorporated issues around the emerging factions of ‘suicide bombing,’ photographed in external, urban locations in Bethnal Green, London. Taking place two months prior to the 9/11 events, the narrative communicated in two ways; firstly, to highlight the modern day brutality towards women in Afghanistan, and secondly, as a fictional portrayal of RAWA evolving into a faction adapted to eradicate their fundamentalist opposition with equivalent levels of organisation and militancy. By representing the veil as an item of concealment and revelation, forbidden attributes of lipstick, nail varnish and jewellery became incongruous symbols of warfare, wounding and resistance.

Published in October 2001, The Stealth Corporation was sold in London at Tate Modern bookshop, Zwemmers Design and Artwords in London, with further distribution in Paris, Tokyo and New York.