I have been trying to articulate something incommunicable. Thankfully for me, The message is in the medium. This is an in-progress excerpt of my project exploring the limits of the photographic self-portrait
Creating patterns out of Polaroids to then printing on fabric. Quilting the patterned fabrics to create a tapestry
And then photographing myself with it
I want to wear myself and I want to wear myself as documented over time. I want to weave together moments and fragments into a cloak that is static and unchanging, despite the transformation of the subject wearing it.
Building a cage hoop skirt. Hanging the Polaroids from the structure of the cage
And then photographing myself wearing it
I want to create the cage of femininity which has been previously binding me in, against myself. I am not a woman and I refuse to follow the doctrine of womanhood. I want to lay bare the structure so I might escape it. I want to decorate my cage with the fragments of time and space as captured on my collection of Polaroids. I will reclaim the cage in the act of wearing it.
Forming a silicone mold of my torso. Casting both wax and plaster busts from the mold
And then photographing myself with it
.
And Then Burning ‘Myself’ Alive.
And Photographing the ashes.
This ongoing self-portrait strives to show my change over time as I struggle simultaneously to survey and style my own image
I am sculpting a self out of these materials... it is truly a shame they will be reduced to merely catalogue pages
Unfortunately for you, dear reader, the message is in the medium. So it seems you might be doomed to experience this project at a material loss
