Thursday 21 January 2010

Idea for The Body unit.

Putting a bit of Cindy Sherman
Untitled Film Stills #13 (1978)
and, Gillian Wearing into the mix.
Self Portrait (2000)
As well as Sophie Calle.
Les Dormeurs [The Sleepers] (1979)

I hope it's acceptable for me to do this idea, if the exhibition in the Photography department is anything to go by, I can do pretty much anything I want, as long as it relates to portraiture.
I want to shoot on film as well as on digital for this one, so I hope they give us enough time to do so.

As I mentioned in a blog from a while ago, I'm going to try and base this project on dressing up as well as similarities within a group of people without realisation.
I just jotted this down so I thought writing this might force me to be a bit more coherent so I can get right into it when we are given the brief in February.
Subjects
Close friends, as well as members of my family and perhaps people I don't know that well from University. I am also willing to photograph myself to explore how similar the people I surround myself with are to me.
Environment
This is a grey area at the moment, I'm considering having a box filled with dressing up costumes so it would probably be more practical to have my subjects come to my house rather than carry the box round everywhere all the time. As well as practically, aesthetically to have the subjects in the same space would emphasise either the similarities or differences, depending on the result.
Technicalities
I will photograph subjects individually so no one will know what the other has chosen, placing myself in the role of subject as well as others.
There will be a limited amount of clothing/costume to choose from so similarities are inevitable but it is encouraged that each subject makes their 'alter-ego' their own.
Probably photographed in a dead-pan style so as not take focus away from what is going on in the images visually.
Perhaps accompany each image with text, quoting why they chose to be photographed this way.
The project may culminate in everyone being photographed together to demonstrate to the subject who they are similar to and also to get a surreal exaggerated image of everyone dressed up to end the series.

I'm literally in love with this idea, I just hope my friends are willing to be models for me, it's not hard and they would be choosing how they would be represented so if it turned out badly, I can't be blamed.
The three women above are to be used as initial influences due to their links to fakery and truth in their images, Gillian Wearing in particular due to the straight-on, dead-pan style demonstrated in her 'Self-Portrait' series as well as her willingness to accept subjects into her space and let them do what they want (Drunk, 2000).

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