Tales of the Other is a photographic project that interrogates the representation of disability through the visual and narrative conventions of fairy tales. Fairy tales have historically functioned as a vehicle for moral and social values, thus informing the world view of those who consume them. Within these narratives, disability has frequently been positioned as a visual and symbolic marker aligned with villainy and moral failure, contributing to its broader cultural view as “other.”
If Disabled people have never been portrayed as the hero, how can we imagine ourselves as one worthy of a happy ending?
Fashion operates from a similar standpoint, playing a significant role in regulating the visibility and desirability of bodies, often rejecting those that do not conform to established standards of beauty. In both contexts, the Disabled subject is rarely afforded visibility and narrative agency. Through the medium of fairy tales, an alternative representation of disability is presented by framing Disabled individuals as central figures within their own narratives. This project rejects the dominant tropes of transformation, and instead invites those who have been othered to be celebrated and seen, without requiring them to conform.
The project is realised through a series of photographic ‘chapters’, each developed in collaboration with the individual portrayed. Styling is informed not only by aesthetic considerations, but by lived experience, personal stories, and accessibility needs, engaging with the relationship between garment, body, and mobility aid. Medical objects and assistive devices, such as ring splints, crutches, and inhalers, are incorporated into the visual story and recontextualised within a fairy tale lens. They become integral elements of each story: made visible and functioning as extensions of the body and a piece of adornment, rather than symbols of limitation and something to be hidden.
At its core, Tales of the Other seeks to create space for Disabled joy and Disabled pride to exist visibly and unapologetically, encompassing both visible and invisible disabilities, without denying the realities of daily struggle and hardships of an inaccessible world.
Project Credits
By Josie Tang
Graphics by Adrianne Wilson
Shoot One – Josephine
Creative Director & Model – Josie Tang
Photography – Georgia Orme-Smith
Fashion Design – Hannah Smith
Fibre Art – Josie Tang
Shoot Two – Dominique
Creative Director & Stylist – Josie Tang
Photographer – Georgia Orme-Smith
Model – Dominique Palmer
Design – Sophie Sprately
Shoot Three – Georgia
Creative Director & Photographer – Josie Tang
Model – Georgia Orme-Smith
Shoot Four – Hannah
Creative Director & Stylist – Josie Tang
Photography – Georgia Orme-Smith
Model – Hannah Cruse
Shoot Five – Rachelle
Creative Director & Photographer – Josie Tang
Model & Styling Assistant – Rachelle Cox
Production & Stylist Assistant – Grace Thomson
Design & Jewellery – Grete Henriette
Design – 150mg
Shoot Six – Naadirah
Creative Director & Stylist – Josie Tang
Photography – Georgia Orme-Smith
Model & Styling Assistant – Naadirah Qazi
Shoot Seven – Madeline
Creative Director & Photographer – Josie Tang
Model – Maddy Reid
Production Assistant – Ella Tang
Jewellery – Emily Victoria
Graduate Exhibition
Features
- Falmouth University Graduate Showcase 2026
- New Designers Exhibition London 2026
- Visible Voices
- Mauri Magazine Issue 00