Vein
Vein marks the beginning of a new project with the intention of engaging with the role of the body and mind in representations attempting to understand the 'self'. I have used symbol and pose to attempt to interpret the inner dialogue negotiated daily, relating to issues such as the dichotomy of the constructed, conditioned self and the internal, private thought. The natural environment as well as its inhabitants [birds/insects] have been appropriated to infer a more primal approach in describing emotion, with particular emphasis on self esteem in relation to anxiety. The carefully chosen landscapes merge with and become an extension of the body; deliberately marking the skin to allude to uncertainty, claustrophobia and a feeling of (in)visibility.
The use of the artists body as a tool to play out the devised scenarios continues to be a dominant strategy employed to collapse the power structure at work between photographer and subject. To preserve the authenticity of the work, unless necessary I do not wish to impose the concept onto another, even if a face is not present in the image. It has been noted that, ‘self-portrait is self-investigation, it represents an attempt to get closer to the nature of one’s self and obtain ultimate answers and is generally doomed to failure’ (Pierini 2009). I argue that the self is an unstable entity necessitating the evaluation involved in the self portrait; the relevance of public self-reflection in art is historically a contentious issue, with views varying from indignation that the artist presumes themselves to be a subject worth depicting, to interest surrounding their character biographically. This has compelled the project to acquire an ambiguous and thoughtful nature in response to the recent more aggressive and revealing use of art as an arena for the confessional. In essence, the investigation lies in the use of the pose to explore and perform the subject as opposed to seek and present ‘ultimate answers’.
Pierini, M (2009) Dialogue of One. P. 37. Francesca Woodman. Siena, Italy : Silvana Editoriale Spa
The use of the artists body as a tool to play out the devised scenarios continues to be a dominant strategy employed to collapse the power structure at work between photographer and subject. To preserve the authenticity of the work, unless necessary I do not wish to impose the concept onto another, even if a face is not present in the image. It has been noted that, ‘self-portrait is self-investigation, it represents an attempt to get closer to the nature of one’s self and obtain ultimate answers and is generally doomed to failure’ (Pierini 2009). I argue that the self is an unstable entity necessitating the evaluation involved in the self portrait; the relevance of public self-reflection in art is historically a contentious issue, with views varying from indignation that the artist presumes themselves to be a subject worth depicting, to interest surrounding their character biographically. This has compelled the project to acquire an ambiguous and thoughtful nature in response to the recent more aggressive and revealing use of art as an arena for the confessional. In essence, the investigation lies in the use of the pose to explore and perform the subject as opposed to seek and present ‘ultimate answers’.
Pierini, M (2009) Dialogue of One. P. 37. Francesca Woodman. Siena, Italy : Silvana Editoriale Spa
