The Two-way Mirror Project

The initial test shoot with the two-way mirror rewarded me with little, but taught me a great deal. The most significant lesson learnt was that it's all about the light, of course!

A two-way mirror is essentially a normal piece of see-through glass or acrylic, but with a sort of 'semi-coating' of reflective foil (a normal mirror has a full, light-impenetrable coating), which means that it has the ability to allow light to pass through, as well as reflect it. The function of a two-way mirror is dependant on the ambient light on either side of it. The side intended to behave as a mirror needs a lot of ambient light, so that it bounces back an image, and the see-through side needs to be dark, so that the image will pass through. Another explanation is provided by the very helpful people at mirrorworld.co.uk (where I purchased mine from):

In reality this means that the two sides must be isolated from one another and the difference in light needs to be dramatic. In fact, if I wish to produce pictures which will appear as straight portraits, then the 'window side' needs to completely dark so that the camera doesn't see itself in a partial reflection.
My solution to this - bin bags. And clothes pegs.

This way the camera sits in a completely unlit environment, and as far as it is concerned the mirror is effectively a window. Meanwhile the subject (me) is well illuminated by the studio lights, and experiences only a mirror. And what does this particular subject do when he encounters a mirror...

Wols/ Arnulf Rainer

The following two artists have both produced self-portraits in which they alter and manipulate their facial features.

Wols (pseudonym for Wolfgang Schulze) was both a painter and photographer working in France in the 1930's and 40's, known for his depictions of ambitious scenes using modest every-day objects. In 1940 he produced a series of what was then considered remarkable self-portraits, exploiting the potential to vary his facial appearances and expressions.

Arnulf Rainer, from the series Face Farces

"Arnulf Rainer's main subject has always been himself, seen as an actor in extreme situations, comic or tragic. His first photographic self-portraits were made in a passport photo-booth in Vienna's main railway station in 1968-9. His idea was that acting in front of the camera would call up 'dormant, or psychopathic reserves of energy'. Then in the 1970's he began to supplement the photographs with violent over drawing, to reveal new and unexpected personages within himself, he called the portraits face-farces. The grimaces in these portraits are projected outwards, and they are affronts meant both to engross and to keep others at a distance." (Words taken from the Phaidon Photography Book.) 

The reason I have presented these two together, is not because I want to make a strong connection between them, but because on discovering them and recognising their similarity to my intended project, I felt it was important to acknowledge their significance as past photographic work which defines the context of my own. In that respect, I need to question what there motives were for producing these photographs. It would seem that Rainer's work relates to issues of internal conflict, and there may be an incentive from him to resolve this. Wols motivation seems to be more of an experimentation and light-hearted playfullness - but I imagine that for 1940 they would have seemed quite unusual portraits.

I can draw parallels here to my own work. To Wols in the sense that I too am hoping to present photographs that are a bit unusual, that will draw attention due to their originality (but with a rationale of deeper meaning behind them). But also (and more so) to Rainer, in my attempts to resolve something internal. A significant focus of my research project was self-mockery. And that is a charecteristic that I want to communicate with my final images, and I hope an audience will find them humorous. But self-mockery is a characteristic with many levels, beneath it is a self-criticism, even a self-inflicted insult. And the criticism I make of myself, and the personality flaw I wish to ameliorate with this project, is vanity and narcissism. I think it is important that I find a way to deliver that motive to the audience (it could just be a short statement accompanying the images somewhere) as it will offer them a greater understanding of the exhibited photographs.

Bruce Nauman

With my proposed plans to produce self-portraits which display extreme and altered facial performances, comes the need to look to other artists who have dealt with similar subject matter. The first is Bruce Nauman.

From Study for Holograms

There is also a similar video performance 'Pinch Neck' found here.

Nauman argues for his own body to be considered as viable as any other object for the use of sculpture, as is evidenced in his famous Self-Portrait as a Fountain. The quality I see in the images above is the extremity to which Nauman transfigures his face – it almost becomes alien. And that extremism is something I would like to attempt, to show the great variation possible within the facial appearance, perhaps even to lead the audience to question how two very different expressions can have been produced by the same person.

The major disparity between the images above and the ones I intend to produce, is that Nauman removes his identity by cropping the work. I want my identity to be a feature of my images, so as to highlight my attempts at humour and self-mockery as a counter to narcissism. My simultaneous criticism and indulgence of vanity is a very personal aspect, which defines my work.  However Nauman's faces have led me to question to what extent my own facial performances could be considered as sculpture. A part of me feels happy for them to be thought of that way, as demonstrations of behaviours which I would encourage others to partake in. And this thought in turn lends support to my plans for an interactive element of my exhibition.

Gorgeous Georgeo begins

The Gorgeous Georgeo video blog is now running. In short this aims to be a regularly updated diary of webcam performances - displaying a general indulgence of trivial aspects of my personality, experiences, thoughts etc. The motive of this is to investigate the desires (of me/of everyone) to be celebrity/revered/known through attempting humour.

The larger project is titled The Self-Indulgence of Gorgeous George, of which a detailed explanation can be found here. Also relating to this work, is the research I conducted into self-mockery within self-portraiture, which is summed up here.

Still from Face Rub

Stills from Arrow Shot, Self Videos

Studio Test with Two-way Mirror

Today was the first session with a two-way mirror in the studio. The experience is best described as a learning curve. Two-way mirrors do not easily provide the clean unhindered visual trick as seen in the movies – they need coercing into behaving correctly. Today I got close, but there is still a significant problem with reflections on the camera side. However I have a cunning and very much 'home-made' idea to solve this – we'll see from the next shoot if it succeeds..

Determining exposure was also awkward, because shooting through a piece of partially transparent acrylic reduces it by approximately two stops – as I found out through trial and error (pre-visualisation can only do so much in this case).

As well as progressing with this test process, I also managed to get a bit of 'behind the scenes' video thanks to my course mate Mino being on hand to shoot it. And this gave me the chance to explain some of the thoughts and motives behind the project, and also provide a peek at the set-up (accompanied by cheesy music and everything!)

Emma Sailah's Mirror Mirror project

Sailah is a photographer based in Sydney. Mirror Mirror is the title of her current and defining body of work, and is best described by her:

"Mirror Mirror project is part of an ongoing body of work that explores identity, voyeurism, and self-expression through innovative photographic techniques and practices. The project consists of a series of portraits and video footage shot through a two-way mirror as individuals sit alone in front of their reflection. The subjects became unintended exhibitionists, allowing the work to question an individual’s sense of self, private personas, and the nature of spectatorship." 

©All images copyright Emma Sailah.

For each session the participant would sit in complete isolation for 30 minutes whilst Sailah photographed them. Equally interesting to the images is the video footage which displays subjects reaction and then self-conscious presentation as 'unintended exhibitionists' as their pictures are repeatedly taken. See more here.

The relevance of Sailah's project to my own, is not just in its use of a two-way mirror, but in its exploration into a person's encounter with their reflection. In my research presentation I argued that engaging with a mirror is a naturally captivating experience, one that all people respond to in some way.  Would the poses and the expressions of Sailah's subjects be the same if they were just looking at a camera lens, as in a straight portrait?

Sailah states that her work aims to question individual's private personas, similarly I am looking to investigate the play and balance between the expression of private and public selves. The difference is that where Sailah's work adopts a voyeuristic process, mine will exhibit the rehearsed and controlled performance of self-portraiture.

On a purely technical note – I am drawn to the simplicity of Sailah's lighting. The grey background and balanced illumination allow the viewer to focus on the subject (she also took inspiration from Robbie Cooper - as mentioned on her blog). Compositionally – I will probably go for a tighter crop as my work is primarily about the facial performance.

Bedroom Self-portraits

This work arose almost without intention. Through the researching and planning done as preparation for the major projects, I found myself drawn to make self-portraits in a manner that any photographer, or even just camera user, might do: simple self-contemplative images, taken in a personal space, and utilising mirrors, timers, remotes, and webcams. I've come to title and know the work as 'The bedroom self-portraits'. Its earliest incarnation was in my initial experimentation and expression using a standard mirror.

 

 

Although these pictures are not part of my planned production. They do speak of the themes I want to address, which I suppose is why they have arisen. For instance the idea of an enigmatic duality between a public and private self. The images are made privately, in a private space, but them shown publicy, and hence undoubtedly contain some conscious altering of the presented me. Do I produce and edit the images to show me as attractive, thoughtful, mysterious? Or do I disregard those desires and go for something 'honest'? Or is it somewhere in between?

The images led me to think of Airyka Rockefeller's self-portrait series – Between or Before. I can't say I was inspired by the work as I made the association afterwards. But I feel that there is some parallel within the personal introspection of our self-portraits.

Airyka Rockefeller After the Acupuncturist 

Airyka Rockefeller Between Flesh and Stone