aimeexart-blog

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I have experimented with ripping into these photos printed onto tracing paper. I have then layered text behind them and used quink ink and charcoal to add depth to some of the photos.

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I have created this video showcasing all of the poems that I have created over the course of this project. I am planning to use the video within my exhibition alongside prints of my photographs. I am really pleased with how the video came out, especially as it was something that I have put together towards the end of the FMP. I also haven’t had much experience in working with film and it was therefore a new skill that I had to learn as I progressed along each stage of the editing process. 

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Projecting my poems onto the body.

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The act of revealing your true self can be difficult. Fear of judgement can make us anxious and apprehensive about showing the world our true selves. The self that is often hidden beneath our exteriors may struggle to ever come to light and this is something that I have aimed to capture within these photographs. I have been deeply focusing on the revelation of vulnerability within my photographs, by capturing images of myself that are both physically and mentally bearing of my identity. I therefore wanted to focus on the opposing side of that vulnerability, the part of me that is not empowered but is instead scared and trapped within societal pressures, unable to freely express myself. Our differences are what makes us interesting and ultimately beautiful as human beings. However it seems that this is something so heavily suppressed by the media, making us feel ashamed of those unique traits or attributes. Whilst I myself understand the physical and mental repercussions of the medias outlook on beauty, it is something that I have begun to reject throughout this project. I am beginning to reject the years of hatred that I have held for myself and my body. I reject to be viewed as anything less than beautiful and I reject the idea that I am not worthy. It is not easy, the journey continues with every passing hour, but I feel I have made positive steps towards self love, discovery and growth.

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Time had become transparent Moonlight, reflect upon I Do you know that I come from Behind the shadow?

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His eye is careless He shall take my touch Until I step into him

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What do my photographs convey?

At first I wondered what I was even trying to convey from my photographs. I now recognise that they are vulnerable and that there is a sensitivity to them that would not usually be shared with the outside world. They reveal the intimacy of a private moment spent alone. In the same sense that the photographs are vulnerable, they are also a source of empowerment as I control my role as subject within the photos. Objectivity is not an option because I define how I am viewed and thus the male gaze is declined.

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I have been experimenting with projection directly onto the body using my own poems and prose.

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My identity

As my project has progressed, I have found it increasingly difficult to represent another person’s identity accurately. Is is possible to truly know what makes a person and how their identity is formed? I have therefore decided to focus on my own identity from now on. When I think of myself, I want to be able to finally answer the question ‘who are you?’. Immediately, I think of order and repetition, how the circadian rhythms of my life repeat with little change. I think there is also an intricacy to my personality that I, as a shy and reserved person, seldom present to the world. I find that this complexity can sometimes spiral out of my control as well as the eyes of others. Referring back to semiotics, I want to express my identity using pattern as an extension of symbolism. I want the patterns to have connections to Islamic ornamation, to include my family heritage. My goal is to produce patterns that portray peace and tranquility, which are both pleasing to look at and personal to me.

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Exploring my identity through my finger prints and projection.

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‘I burn, I shiver; out of the sun, into this shadow.’

Virginia Woolf, The Waves (via antigonick)

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My roots go down to the depths of the world, through earth dry with brick, and damp earth, through veins of lead and silver. I am all fibre. All tremors shake me, and the weight of the earth is pressed to my ribs.

Virginia Woolf, The Waves (via antigonick)

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Collagraph printing. A pattern that I have chosen in relation to the "terrains" of the body. Our bodies are a massive part of our identities. How we carry and hold ourselves, how we dress, how we style our hair, how much of our bodies we decide to show or not show are all a part of that identity. And whilst none of these things can ever define who we are as people, especially for negative purposes, they remain a dominant subject of our identity.

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Experimentation with projection. I have layered acetate photographs onto the overhead projector to create these projections. The black and white, personally makes me feel like the photos have a timelessness. The layering also makes me feel about the different positions I have placed myself in and how different positions convey different elements of my identity. In some images, I appear open whilst I'm others I seem to be shying away from the camera, thus conveying various sides to one individual.