Initial Ideas:
When considering the concept of a self portrait, I first wanted to consider the elements of identity. What makes me, me? I started by brainstorming words that I associated with ‘self portrait’ and ‘identity’. This included words like self expression, insecurities, relationships, self recognition and self isolation. From these list of words, I began by brainstorming ideas that met the brief.
Idea 1:
My first idea revolved around light, and how it can affect my self portrait. This idea included creating a series of photos where I have manipulated the lighting to create distortions of my face. I wanted to create something interesting and thought-provoking, showing how I, the artist, can use techniques to change a typical self portrait into something elevated. However, when I tried this idea I found that it didn’t have the effect I was hoping for. It seemed too bland for me and uninspiring. I wanted to do something creative, and although initially I thought that this idea showcased my creativity, the actual outcome did not and so I decided to move on from this idea.
Idea 2:
My second idea consisted of utilising my love of nature juxtaposed with my personal insecurities. I was going to photograph body parts such as my thigh, standing beside elements of nature such as a tree. I wanted to draw correlation between my insecurities, such as my thigh cellulite with the bumps and texture of a tree trunk. We look at elements of nature like trees and view them as beautiful, so why don’t we view ourselves this way? From this brainstorm, I decided to go a step further and create a distorted self portrait, perhaps by sitting in my wardrobe so that my rolls and cellulite and everything I try to hide, was instead exposed. Initially I found this idea inspiring and felt really excited about it, however it soon fell flat a I realised I did want to include video, and finding a way to video this whilst manipulating the lighting to highlight my insecurities might be more challenging in the time frame I had. I also decided not to do this idea as I decided that a video of me next to a tree or in a cupboard just wouldn’t have the powerful effect that I wanted.
Idea 3-Final Idea:
So, I decided to include an element of both these ideas into my final idea. I wanted lighting to be considered, and I wanted to express my fears and insecurities perhaps in a more subtle tone. For my final idea, I decided to set up my camera to video myself as paint splatters hit my face. I wanted it to be colourful and powerful. The usage of paint was to in cooperate my hobby of painting and drawing, whilst highlighting the concept of ‘painting a self portrait.’ I was so inspired by Andy Warhol’s screen tests that I wanted to portray a video that conveyed strong emotion, and so I felt that this idea would do that whilst including my own hobbies and interests- hence making it personal to me.
Experimentation:
Idea 1:
Below is my experimentation for idea 1. I liked how the different lighting created an eerie tone, something that I could apply to my final idea. I also experimented with black and white and loved the effect that this had.
Idea 3:
When experimenting with my third idea, I realised that the paint splatters hitting my face were not visible. However, I still wanted to utilise this concept into my final outcome.
See below for my idea 3 video experimentation: