The Proposal

Below is the proposal I recently submitted for the Photographic Practice module. It's rather long for a blog post - the first part explains the theoretical approach and reasoning, the second half goes into detail of the practicalities of producing the work. If you want to know simply what I will be doing, and see sample images of those intended projects, then scroll down to the 'Plan/Schedule' heading.


Name

‘Gorgeous’ George Rippon

Title

Me, My Reflection and Him

or

The Self-indulgence of Gorgeous George

Description of subject to be investigated

I am interested in the persona that we present in order to display our desired qualities. Our relationship with our reflections and the images of ourselves that we experience, are significant in the conscious creation and adjustment of this public self. I’m seeking to examine the response of the individual to their awareness of their own absorption with their presented image. This response includes self-mockery, self-indulgence, narcissism and an admittance of a need for recognition. Moreover, I’m interested in the manner in which this performance is continued, and what relationship then ensues between the ‘reflective-private' and the ‘performed-public' selves.

Context

“I love acting. It is so much more real than life.” Oscar Wilde

Within the field of self-portraiture there has always been some kind of exploration into identity. Because we are aware of the capability of an image to depict (in the case of portraits) a person’s character, we are then conscious of the level of performance that manifests from the subject. Since in self-portraits the artist is both subject and creator, there is often an analysis and manipulation of the performance from both angles. When artists use self-portraiture to question the different versions of presented ‘self’, their approach is fundamentally relevant, due to the insight they hold of ultimate knowledge and access to the subject.  

The following practitioners form the context to this study because they are engaged in the variance that exists between a conscious performance and a natural behaviour. The works of Cindy Sherman and Yasumasa Morimura, are concerned largely with masquerade and elaborate performances; however, in consistently using themselves as the subject, there is an element of their own character underlying their play-acting. Alternatively, Nan Goldin’s The Ballad of Sexual Dependency, and the collaboration of Patrick Tsai and Madi Ju’s My Little Dead Dick, are both strongly autobiographical works, although a sense of performance (or the possibility of) to the camera can be inferred. Claude Cahun’s work has a strong case for illustrating the perpetual (and destined to fail) efforts of artists to discover their true self behind recognised personas: “Under the mask is another mask, I will never finish lifting all these faces.” (1930, cited in Bright, 2010). Anita Khemka obfuscates what is staged and what is spontaneous by taking her self-portraits in public places, allowing the environment and people around her to contribute to the result. Bas Jan Ader appears to give the rawest insight into his personality in I’m Too Sad to Tell You, and yet by using photography and video to document his expression, still leaves the viewer questioning to what extent his behaviour is genuine or performed.

The following issues are also relevant: the philosophical debate of the notion of ‘self’ – suggested to be an entity that merely perceives (Hume); the psychological arguments concerning the ego and alter ego (Freud) and the ego, other, Other, and subject (Lacan); the anthropological discussion around the use of webcams and Youtube for self-performance (Wesch).

My standpoint on this investigation is an inquisitive one, attempting to unravel and perhaps ameliorate a complex I have with my continual introspection: I’m always thinking about myself and wondering why.

Plan/Schedule of work

1.      1. A set of self-portraits using a two-way mirror, so I look at and interact with my reflection rather than a lens, but line up the eyesight to give the impression of a straight portrait, aiming for high clarity and minimum background detail (similar lighting and composition to Emma Sailah’s  Mirror Mirror). I will then re-enact the extreme facial performances as done to the bathroom mirror - to investigate: my altering of presentation; relationship between inner (thought) and outer (visible) selves; attempting humour; challenging attractive appearance.

‘Hannah’ and ‘Minh Ai’ from Mirror Mirror by Emma Sailah. 

Test images using normal mirror with a hole in its centre for the lens. One diffused light above camera. Poor focus is an error, background will have no detail, composition is suitable, lighting needs to improve. Images ©George Rippon. All Rights Reserved.

2. A similar process to above, with others in front of the mirror – where I photograph them attempting to copy my extravagant facial contortions, as a means of continuing the humour, and exploring the universality of the face (relevant to physiognomy). Perhaps also ask them to photograph themselves, to make their own self-portraits, with cable release or remote – to see how they respond given the opportunity to present a desired look.

3.      3. As a continuation of my Self Videos, produce a regularly updated diary of webcam performances - displaying a general indulgence of trivial aspects of my personality, experiences, thoughts etc – investigating further the desire to be celebrity/revered/known through attempted humour.

Self Videos (still)

Forehead Letters (still)

4.      4. A self-portrait of pixels (I can't paint) – using a mirror, and Adobe Photoshop – ‘painting’ with various colours, various brush sizes, producing several pieces – forming an overall progression, striving towards a realistic portrait (eventually looking like a photograph). Inspired by the Johannes Gumpp painting of himself in the act of painting a self-portrait (likewise Norman Rockwell’s Triple Self-portrait), I plan to investigate in what manner and with what adjustments I will reproduce my image.

Self-Portrait with Mirror and Canvas by Johannes Gumpp

Pixel-Painted Self-Portrait #1 and #2

Making of Pixel-Painted Self-Portrait 

5.      5. I’m a ... (artist) - a series of videos in which I attempt to prove my creative multi-talents (musician, actor, painter, etc.), but which ultimately highlight myself as a failure and fool, wanting appreciation – inspired in part by Bjorn Veno’s promotional videos for PXSnatch.

6.      6. A video piece based on my Body (own) collage where each image is moving rather than still. However the movement will be very subtle, aiming to give the impression of a still image on first glance, and then following with the realisation that the body is moving/breathing/alive. Similar motive to the original piece – to present own body in unflattering manner – but with heightened representation.

Body (own) 

Body (own) (still)

Audience

·      Fine art/gallery community – aiming to attract attention at exhibition in London held during a week where photography is highly popular in the area due to degree shows. This to be at a gallery (The Rag Factory) which is establishing itself as a popular venue at the time of these events. The intention is to involve other established practitioners, to elevate the exhibition above a student degree show and encourage a larger footfall, and also the potential to make connections with curators/gallerists etc. There is the chance of the exhibition being reviewed owing to the supporting factors above, which will further enhance the publicity. Additionally, there has been a recent growth of interest in contemporary self-portrait photography with the publication of Susan Bright’s book Auto Focus.

·      Online – a personal blog, George Rippon Photography which is updated regularly with latest work, ideas and research; combined with a Twitter account as a means of spreading the work to a remote audience (aiming to increase interested following, particularly those based in London in lead-up to the exhibition). Utilising social media to present and build up a recognised brand name – YouTube channel, Twitter account, and a video blog, all as ‘GorgeousGeorgeo’.

·      YouTube viewers – humour is popular, short videos, a homemade aesthetic is well accepted. There is a potential to go viral, although this seems to be down to chance and is very much a snowball effect. If popularity is found on YouTube, then considering the nature of the project and its delivery, an interest could follow from the fine art community.

·      Academic – as the project is based on the reflection of photographic imagery in self-portraiture, its content may be relevant in the study of photography theory/behaviour. There is also a relevance to research in the fields of philosophy, psychology, anthropology and other areas in which the notion of ‘self’ is questioned.

Anticipated method of presentation

Gallery:

·      Two-way mirror project (1.) – large prints of oversize face, to give impression of “Ah it’s a big face!” – so as to show off their absurdity, and impress/oppress my image upon others.

·      Potentially include a two-way mirror as a means of involving the viewer. Place a large rear-projected print behind a two-way mirror, with the projection light triggered by motion (similar to a burglar light) so an apparent mirror turns into a picture as viewers pass.

·      And/or a video camera concealed behind a two-way mirror, with the footage output delayed and shown to the side - so people can play to/with their reflection and then view it moments after.

·      Video projection – of selected ‘self-videos’ (3. & 5.).

·      Medium prints (40x40cm) making a progression piece of pixel-painted self-portrait (4.).

·      May have smaller prints of mirror portraits of others (2.).

Online:

·      Blog of videos (like diary updates) and a YouTube channel – refer to Ask A Ninja/What I Wore Today – comical, intending to have the potential to develop a mass following.

·      Simple web gallery of mirror portraits (one for self-portraits, one for others) (1. & 2.)

·      An interactive view of the pixel-painted portrait, with a slider so it can be quickly seen how the portrait developed. See Girlpower –Retouch  

Budget/Resources required.

·      Two-way mirror – £44.48

·      Wood and construction materials for mirror stand – £40 - £50

·      Construction tools and assistance – provided.

·      Loan of Hasselblad H3DII with 50mm lens from Calumet for 2 days – £530*

·      Prints for ‘Two-way mirror’ project:

Option 1 – 3x 110x110cm prints on fibre based paper, mounted on 5mm Foamboard (from The Print Bureau, Coventry) at £69.58 ea = £208.74.

Option 2 – 3x 101x101cm Giclee prints, mounted on DiBond with battens, and acrylic seal, incl. delivery (from The Printspace, London) at £326.54 ea = £979.62*

·      Prints for ‘Pixel painted self-portrait’ project:

Option 1 – 6x 40x40cm prints on resin coated paper, mounted and laminated on 3mm Foamboard (Print Bureau) at £8 ea = £48

Option 2 – 10x 40x40cm C-type matt prints, mounted on 3mm Foamex with acrylic seal, incl. delivery (Printspace) at £63.68 ea = £636.80*

·      Blog space and YouTube channel – free.

·      Web domain and hosting – already owned.

·      Projection equipment with audio – provided.

·      DSLR camera, studio space, lighting equpiment – provided.

·      Video camera and editing software – provided.

·      Normal mirror, Adobe Photoshop software, Apple iMac desktop computer incl. webcam – already owned.

* indicates a non-essential but ‘ideal’ expense.

Total minimum (essential) budget: £341.22

Total maximum (ideal) budget: £2,240.90

Some additional images relating to the 'context' section of the proposal:

Self-Portrait on the Rocks, Levanzo, Sicily by Nan Goldin

Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore by Claude Cahun

Travelling by train from Bangalore to Mumbai by Anita Khemka

I’m too Sad to Tell You by Bas Jan Ader

Self-Mockery within Male/Female Self-Portraiture

Although it was never a planned enquiry of my investigation, an interesting issue of gender has arisen in my research. Without intention, all of the photographers/artists that I have chosen as suitable examples for my argument, are male. It seems that self-mockery within self-portraiture is a behaviour or endeavour more suited to men. I can see this relating to the fact that men seem to be dominant in the profession of stand-up comedy, and many comedians display self-mockery, or if not that, then a readiness not to take oneself seriously.

Women's self-portraiture tends to relate to more serious issues, notably often femininity or female identity. It seems to me that the female gender is the one more loaded with potential for reflection on its role and reception as a gender in society, simply because of its historical cultural background. When humour is used it tends to be more outwardly than inwardly critical – think Sarah Lucas, Tracy Emin or Julie Pochron. The male self-portraitist however, seems to have greater ease at traversing into a self-mocking stance. 

The two examples of women using self-mockery I came across are the films of video artist Shannon Plumb, and Anna Fox's series Super Snacks. However Plumb's work doesn't seem particularly inward looking or in anyway autobiographical, and Fox's work comes across as rather despairing humour. 

Shannon Plumb - The Corner (still)

I think, without intending it, the type of self-mockery which I have come to understand and question originates from the male reflection on his own inabilities or shortcomings. Naturally that is the self-mockery which I can relate to.

Taking this male reflection further, Bjorn Veno's blog is an excellent exploration into man's place today, and also this post 'The good men are not needed' by Danny Ledonne.

Self-Mockery from Sociology

I've managed to find a journal article that is specific to self-mockery, and which has provided me with a much needed theoretical resource to support my concluding points. Self-Mockery: An Alternative Form of Self Presentation is written by the sociologist Sheldon Ungar, and was published in 1984. I located the article in the 'Academic Search Complete' database and had to request if with 'document supply', and eventually had it provided by the British Library. Although the article may be dated, the points Ungar raises are still very relevant today and the following are particularly useful to my angle of enquiry:

"By revealing undesirable qualities, one can attenuate the feelings of envy and resentment that often accompany impressive images; such revelations can also decrease social distance among interactants."

"By calling attention to their own foibles, performers not only disarm others, but also affirm standards or rules in a fashion that is likely to augment positive sentiments among the participants. (Admissions of one's inadequacies can be infectious: other participants may be then likely to recount their own related foibles.)"   

"..brief ventures into the unserious realm allow the performer to reveal aspects of the self that would otherwise be out-of-place. Furthermore, one can reveal weaknesses or faults and, by viewing them in a humorous vein, still retain one’s dignity and status." 

The above quotations back-up notions which I had suspected were occurring – the idea that self-mockery is a social tool used by an individual to create positive feeling to those he presents himself to. Also, although originating from self-criticism, self mockery allows one to bring their flaws to the fore in a favourable manner. And then it can be seen to result back to a self-centred behaviour – used to gain social ground – which brings up the idea of a perpetual oscillation between self-mockery and narcissism. This 'see-saw' is very much at evidence in my practice, and although I see no solution to it yet, perhaps I can conclude this talk with my hopes to unravel it.

Photo Synthesis Symposium

The Photo Synthesis Project refers to all major work – research and practical – of the final year students of the BA Photography course at Coventry University (myself being one of them). The first event to come under this banner is the following symposium, where the major research projects will be presented.

Click to Enlarge

Coventry University Photography up for Auction

On Thursday the 3rd of March, Photography and Fine Art students of Coventry University, will be holding a fundraising auction, selling a selection of their best work, and including several high profile pieces donated by their tutors. The money raised will be put towards their degree shows.

The auction will take place in the Herbert Art Gallery, Coventry; but bidders can also participate remotely via paper and telephone commissions. A full catalogue can be found here, and below is the selected photography pieces.

More information can be found on the Herbert website, including terms and conditions.

Contact:
Bruce Fletcher
T: 07816966892
E: bruce_fletcher@hotmail.com

The Persona Reinforced

Following on from my recent post on Steve Coogan's celebrity persona – I was struck by this comment he made writing in an article for the Guardian: 

"I've been fortunate enough to work with the likes of Peter Baynham, Armando Iannucci, Chris Morris, Simon Pegg, Julia Davis, Caroline Aherne, Ruth Jones, and the Mighty Boosh – some of the funniest and most innovative people in British comedy. And Rob Brydon too."

The article actually concerned the remarks of the Top Gear presenters regarding Mexicans (completely unrelated to my research). But the reason I chose to quote was because even when writing a critical and opinionated article on a separate matter, Steve Coogan still cannot resist displaying the same humorous, childish, mocking character (one that picks on Rob Brydon) that he so demonstrated in The Trip. What we are seeing here is this same persona eagerly pushing its way out, making itself known as a commonplace attribute of the actor/writer/celebrity that is Steve Coogan. The relevance here then lies in the appearance of this "loose version of himself", and his acknowledging of this played and playful persona as an irrevocable element of his self. And crucially the relationship between the two: the overall professional, down to earth character allowing and indulging the cheeky, self-centred 'sub-character'.

The Work and Character of Bjorn Veno

Veno's ongoing work 'MANN' concerns male identity, which he feels is in need of addressing in light of the extensive focus on femininity. His work looks at issues of male confidence into adulthood, as a man realises his inevitable failure at fulfilling the 'hero characters' of childhood. The work is in a sense autobiographical, or certainly self-reflective.

From Chapter I, Sirkel Bjorn Veno

There is humour and self-mockery to his work, although it may not be apparent at the surface of the images, it is displayed in Veno's Artist Talk video – where he talks dryly and ironically of his own foolishness in holding onto childish desires. "You might be a big muscle builder, confident and secure, me - I have fleeting moments of confidence, the rest of the time I wonder: what the hell am I doing?" (0:46 - 1:07). What's really of note here is this repeating trait of self-mockery, it continues to reveal itself and it comes to define Veno's character as a practitioner. A result of self-portraiture – the artist lives in the work, and the work lives in the artist.

The skeleton needs some flesh

Today I received feedback from Ed Dimsdale for the planned structure which I had put together last week. Overall this seemed good. It is apparent that I need to be wary of the timing of the piece, as there is quite a lot of points I plan to make in support of my argument, but the flow of it is logical and it seems to present an interesting and original perspective.

I've added notes in red to explain the development and intended progression of each point.

Title: Self-portrait, Self-mockery, and the Mirror

Intro: Seeking to explain Self-mockery in photography and video (and visual art/culture). Rather than ‘seeking to explain’ it’s more the case of questioning what is happening, or may be happening, when artists et al use self-mockery.

1.     The curiosity and intrigue of the mirror/reflection. Our interest in viewing our own image. This is the widest context with which the argument fits into. Lacan can be used as reference, but rather than spending time on it, its significance across history and many schools (Psychology, philosophy etc.) needs to be raised, encourage the audience to accept and move on. 

2.     The consciousness of presentation - the desire to be revered, to give best impression. Erving Goffman’s ‘presentation of self..’ will support this. (reading to be done).

3.     Awareness of an image's ability to immortalise character. Could be considered as 2b. or 2+3 leads to 4. Again touch and don’t dwell on this. Worthwhile illustrating, or supporting this with theory if possible.

4.     The will to make/possess/show images which display our desired qualities - an explanation of vanity?: Rather a behaviour which has elements of vanity, narcissism, self-centredness. Barthes' thoughts on being photographed may assist this point - the relationships between viewer, subject and creator. A social media context may be relevant also – the facebook profile photos.

5.     Then the response to mock ourselves, our narcissism, vanity, and self-centredness. Use relevant artist examples here. Also some theory on Self-mockery would be useful, and may also help to explain point 6.

6.     However, self-mockery being humour, gives us a position of performing to be funny, to make others laugh, to be liked, all about us(me) again..

Relevant artists: 

·        Boris Mikhailov – I am not I, Football

·        Bjorn Veno – Mann - Skirgel

·        Steve Coogan - playing a version of himself in The Trip

Other Areas (these are things I plan to mention but not discuss, and also for questions afterwards):

–      Masquerade, dressing up, performing as another: Cindy Sherman, Yasumasa Morimura

–      Femininity, concerning the appropriated images of women: Sarah Lucas  Julie Pochron Tracy Emin. The issues surrounding gender are prominent in this field of discussion, and will need touching upon, as well as suit further discussion.

The main concern now that the structure is confirmed, is to flesh it out with strong and relevant content. The tutorial with Ed, his suggestions and the discussion we had, has given me the confidence to do this. He has also mentioned the importance I must place on deciding what images to use to illustrate the argument.

Boris Mikhailov in 'Auto Focus'

I recently bought Susan Bright's book Auto Focus: The Self-Portrait in Contemporary Photography (a good article on it here). Published just last year, the book is proving to be incredibly useful and informative as a reference for recent and current practitioners working with self-portraiture.

There are many names I've come across before, and equally many which are new to me. Curiously there are also several practitioners I'm familiar with, but not for their self-portraiture work. This point alone speaks of the draw towards turning the camera on oneself that many photographers experience, even if that's not work that they spread widely nor produce often, it still seems to be a thing of intrigue for many artists.

One such photographer whose self-portrait work I found in the book which suited my research admirably, was Boris Mikhailov. Susan Bright's comment says it as well as I ever could:

“A wry sense of humour is often apparent throughout Mikhailov’s work, and tends to be the tie that binds his self portraits together. His comedic sensibilities can be seen in the series I am Not I, in particular his ridiculous posturing with a dildo. He pokes fun at his masculine body-builder pose – which aims to show the body to its best potential – by being unafraid to laugh at himself and mock the potency of the phallus with its plastic counterpart. The more recent photographs of Mikhailov playing football in the park rely upon a similar goofiness and slapstick humour, which turn what could be banal pictures into an almost tragicomic meditation on age and agility. They are evidence that he does not take himself too seriously.”   

Boris Mikhailov - I am Not I

Boris Mikhailov - Football

Bright's writing is concise, interesting, and accessible. In the introduction she mentions several times the continuing efforts exercised by photographers and artists to discover something of an objective or pure self through self-portraiture. Claude Cahun's quote sums up the challenge of it succinctly: “Under the mask is another mask, I will never finish lifting all these faces.” I can see this and the further points Bright raises in this part of her book, assisting me in providing a context from which my current photographic practice will emerge from. 

The intrigue in the mirror

A key theme to my practice, is the relationship we have as individuals to our reflections. The mirror and the reflection, and the fascination of them, has a long history of featuring in photography, both in and out of self-portraiture. Sam Kelly touches on these issues with his thoughts of Bas Jan Ader's I'm too sad to tell you.

As image makers, photographers will at some point turn the camera on themselves. It may only be brief, it may never be shown, but it seems that the compulsion to try it is almost inevitable. The mirror as an object is the greatest partner to this activity. I began an exploration into the motives and the outcomes of this activity with the following.

Contact sheet (click to enlarge)

Steve Coogan as Steve Coogan

The persona that is Steve Coogan, that he has created and exudes as a celebrity figure, includes and demonstrates a sense of self-mockery.

In the recent BBC2 comedy The Trip Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon played 'loose versions' of themselves, improvising their dialogue, to a simple plot structure of a trip reviewing restaurants in North England. Coogan, or rather Coogan's character of Coogan, was in a continual state of petty competition with Brydon's (an excellent example can be seen below). They duelled mostly over voice impersonations, but also athletic ability, vocal range, even comedic prowess. Coogan remained harshly and childishly critical of Brydon's performances, always seeking to prove himself as the more talented, the more knowledgeable, and the funnier. In these attempts he ultimately fails. Brydon trumps unwillingly - content with his career, family, and achievements. Coogan struggles on - frustrated with his self-implied shortcomings: in one scene, he whines to his agent about wanting to star in 'good films'; in another he attempts to mimic Brydon's popular 'small man in a box' in front of the mirror; in others we see evidence of his problematic family and love life. All of which culminates in the final scenes of the series, where Brydon returns to his wife and child in a warm home, whilst Coogan finds himself alone in a stylish and cold London flat. 

Steve Coogan (left) and Rob Brydon in The Trip

In his performance, Steve Coogan is ridiculing his own desire to be revered. He is drawing attention to this complex that he has (or at least that his celebrity self has) and then self-critiquing it with mockery. Hence this version of Steve Coogan who toils for fame and high regard only to be revealed as a fool and a failure. However, it's not a definite depression, but more of a tragic comedy, Coogan and Brydon do enjoy each other's company, and the show is very funny.

The significance for me, lies in Coogan's conscious decision to face, challenge, and excoriate an issue of his own public (and to many degrees, private) personality, and his use of humour in exposing it. This is why the actor Steve Coogan's portrayal of the character of Steve Coogan, is relevant to my research.


'This is how Michael Caine speaks', The Trip BBC2

Structure Planning

Today I presented the research to date to the group and the Wise Ones. In preparation for this I drew up an initial plan of the structure of my presentation, based on what I have discovered so far and the specific direction I want the talk to take.

Title: Self-portrait, Self-mockery, and the Mirror

Intro: Seeking to explain Self-mockery in photography and video (and visual art/culture).

1.     The curiosity and intrigue of the mirror/reflection. Our interest in viewing our own image.

2.     The consciousness of presentation - the desire to be revered, to give best impression.

3.     Awareness of an image's ability to immortalise character.

4.     The will to make/possess/show images which display our desired qualities - an explanation of vanity?

5.     Then the response to mock ourselves, our narcissism, vanity, and self-centredness.

6.     However, self-mockery being humour, gives us a position of performing to be funny, to make others laugh, to be liked, all about us(me) again..

Relevant artists: 

·        Boris Mikhailov – Self-portraits

·        Bjorn Veno – Mann 

·        Steve Coogan – The Trip

Other Areas (these are things I plan to mention but not discuss, and also for questions afterwards):

–      Masquerade, dressing up, performing as another: Cindy Sherman, Yasumasa Morimura

–      Femininity, concerning the appropriated images of women: Sarah Lucas     

Bjorn Veno - from Mann

Boris Mikhailov - Look at me I look at water

Initial Plans for Final Project

Yesterday was the first presentation of our intial ideas for the final major project. The content of which will be shaping itself into a proposal in the near future. My project, at its earliest stage, began with the Nude Naked task from the 'picturing the body' module. You can follow the link for the rationale behind that work, but essentially my wish to present my own body in a stark and unflattering manner as a counter to my pride in it, illuminates a key theme which continues into this present project. And that is: an awareness of the problem and weakness of vanity, and yet also a susceptability to it; and following that is (or may be) a response to mock our vanity. That module culminated in the Body (own) piece. But as well as this mockery of pride in physical appearance, there also grew a more personal jest, at my desire to be revered, to be funny, liked, a regarded performer - as evidenced in Self Videos.

The current project then, concerns issues of: self-portraiture; self-mockery and narcissism - the relationship of the two; performance and presentation; the intrigue of the mirror.

At present I'm struggling to define it in words clearer than those, however I am clear on the following pieces that I wish to produce, and in analysing these it may be clearer what it is which underlies my practice.

1. A set of self-portraits using a two-way mirror, so I look at and interact with my reflection rather than a lens, but line up the eyesight to give immpression of a straight portrait, aiming for high clarity and minimum background detail (similar lighting and composition to Robbie Cooper's 'Immersion') reenact the extreme facial performances as done to the bathroom mirror - investigate: my altering of presentation; relationship between inner (thought) and outer (visible) selves; attempting humour; challenging attractive appearance.
2. A similar process using others - where I photograph them (whilst they look at their reflection) at an unknown moment, I will wait and look for some reveal in their character, and then they photograph themselves, with cable release or other - to see how they respond given the option to present their desired look, how it contrasts with the portrait taken by another.
3. As a continuation of Self videos - a regularly updated diary of webcam performances - showcasing a general indulgence of trivial aspects of my personality, experiences, thoughts etc, investigating further the desire to be celebrity/revered/known through attempted humour. 
4. A self-portrait of pixels (can't use paint) - using a mirror, and Adobe Photoshop, various colours, various brush sizes, several pieces - forming an overall progression, striving towards a realistic portrait (eventually looks like a photograph), inspired by the Johannes Gumpp painting of himself in the act of painting a self-portrait - investigating what image I will put upon myself, in what manner and with what adjustments will I reproduce my image?
5. I'm a ... (artist) - a series of videos in which I attempt to prove my creative multitalents (musician, actor, painter, etc.), but which ultimately highlight myself as a failure and fool, wanting appreciation,   inspired in part by Bjorn Veno's promotional videos for pxsnatch.   

Still from Immersion by Robbie Cooper

Johannes Gumpp

Bjorn veno's videos for PXSnatch can be found here.

The feedback from this presentation was encouraging. One significant aspect higlighted, was the notion of a division of self between a public and a private, and how these two perspectives then relate to each other, and furthermore how that relationship is reflected in the work. Also illumated was the conflict between: a yearning to be noticed (likely arising from the public side), and a wariness of being watched or inspected (private).

Imitation of Me

Continuing in the vein of self-mockery and introspection of one's own image, comes the following piece. The first image in the sequence is a still from a video documentary, in which I eagerly present the item of discussion with passion, so that it and I may be taken seriously. And then pulling the old 'freeze somebody mid-speech trick' gives the wonderful image - revealing (or creating) the fool. The subsequent self-portraits are an imitation and a jest of that attempt to appear sincere.

Imitation of Me  (click to enlarge)

I'm steadily developing a continuing use of the 'PhotoBooth' application on Mac, which is essentially using a webcam to take pictures and make videos of yourself. Wonderful!

There's a history to the fascination of this activity. One of its early pioneers was Gary Brolsma with the now incredibly infamous 'Numa Numa Dance'. This has become one of the most viewed viral videos in the history of the web, it sparked a craze with web cam performances, (one of the most notable follow-ups being 'Two Chinese Boys'). More on this phenomenon later.

Imitation of Me (detail)

The Mirror Stage

Steven Z. Levine is the author of Lacan Reframed, which aims to provide a guide for the art student, to the psychoanalytical theories of Jacques Lacan. In my case, this is Lacan's developmental concept 'The Mirror Stage'.

The following are relevant (quotations and paraphrases):

• A summary of the story of beautiful Narcissus – spots his reflection in the forest pool, the impossible love of is own reflected image, the unbridgeable split between desiring object and desired object, resolved by his death and metamorphosis into the flower - at least that's the mythological resolution. 
• "I is another." (Arthur Rimbaud) The beautiful image of self exists outside of oneself, but we recognise it – 'narcissistic identification'.
• Lacan's contribution to the formation of the Ego (of Freudian theory): "Based on the alien but alluring images glimpsed in the mirror in childhood, the Ego was crystallised in response to the admiring behaviour of the Mother" (Levine) 'The Mirror of Mother and Child' 
• Which leads to: 'A lifelong conflict, started at childhood, between the Ego and alter Ego – Self and other – due to recognising the alter Ego in the eyes of the mother.' And hence: 'A stand off between 'the me I see myself as being' and 'the me I want to be and can never be.'
• "In his insistence on the dangerous duel of self and other, .. Lacan was extending Freud's formulations on the self-loving and self-loathing narcissism of the Ego"  

There were many more complex psychological explanations and suggestions of Lacan, all of which centre around a conflict between the self and other, and which relate back to the mirror stage. However seeing that I don't need to progress into those with any depth, I can take away the inference that the Mirror Stage plays a crucial developmental part in the notion of self, even if that notion is constantly fragmented and ill-defined.

Professional Photograhic Practice

Today marked the beginning of the above module (hereby tagged as 'Photographic Practice'). The largest of the course, it is practical based, and because the project is self-defined, one in which we have the chance to shape and solidify our individual practice. This work will take us from January to June and will culminate in our final year show, in other words - what we have been leading up to for the past two and a half years, and our biggest challenge yet.

The project runs alongside the research module 'Working with Photography in Context', and the two feed from each other. Hence, for this practical work, I will continue with my interest in self-portraiture and the mirror, broadening it from the specified 'self-mockery' topic of the research work, but still focussing on the 'response to the self' - ideas of self-indulgence, of the use and understanding of performance, of the relationship between selves through a mirror and photographs.

The next stage will be to develop these ideas, through tutorials and research, into a clearly defined and professionally presented proposal. This proposal will make up a substantial weight of the overall mark, the reason being that a skill and appreciation of writing project proposals, can be a great asset in a future professional context, particularly in the case of applying for grants (a substantial source of income for many practitioners). Onwards.

'The Walk' Short Film

The people depicted here are my family. The story takes place from Summer to Winter. This is a short film I made using stills of their activity with each other, and with the outdoors. The most enlightening and exciting element of producing this was working in collaboration with the composer Brendan Beales. The photographs - their timing and running order - were edited to silence, I then provided Brendan with a total running time, as well as times for various cues and I gave direction for the mood, tempo, and tonality of the music. He did not know which images he was writing for until the piece was completed, this was to avoid 'mickey mousing' the music. Essentially, this production has highlighted for me the pleasure and ability I have, working in collaboration with others towards a larger creative goal. The film and television industry calls all the louder.

'Here's Looking at You'

'Here's Looking at You' is the title of the fourth chapter of Richard Brilliant's book Portraiture, and in that chapter he discusses self-portraiture across all mediums of art. So although not overtly relevant to my specific angle of research, it is still a very useful core text for this field.

There are numerous points of note throughout the chapter, below are those which stood out as greatly significant to me:

• Brilliant mentions the mirrors input to self-portraiture - 'The fallacy of the reflection, our own internal images of self are misleading compared to how other see us. Seeing your reflection unexpectedly and being surprised by the image is testimony to the varying imagined perspectives you hold of your appearance/presentation. 
• He also cites philosopher David Hume's musings on the notion of 'self': "For my part, when I enter most intimately into what I call 'myself', I always stumble on some particular perception or other, of heat or cold, light or shade, love or hatred, pain or pleasure. I never can catch 'myself' at any time without a perception, and never can observe anything but the perception ... If anyone , upon serious and unprejudiced reflection, thinks he has a different notion of  'himself', I must confess that I can reason no longer with him."
• Parmigianino's Self Portrait in a Convex Mirror. Where the viewer is privy to the moment of an artist meeting his own reflection. 'Parmigianino represents himself as a subject experiencing his own (re)presentation in a mirror.'
• "With greater or lesser degrees of success, self portraiture always makes a concentrated autobiographical statement - the manifesto of an artists introspection" (Brilliant)
• Norman Rockwell's Triple Self-Portrait. ".. it is so explicitly self-referential and demonstrates so well the distortions in the mirror reflection. .. one could hardly imagine a more explicit statement of the 'I' in the work, and of the artists engagement with the concept of 'I-ness'." (Brilliant)
• Brilliant also mentions something that I would term as 'the vulnerability of sharing introspection' which is a threat to all self-portraying artists: "The natural impulse to protect one's personal privacy from others conflicts with that artists equally natural desire to create an autobiographical image that, being a separate entity, lives outside of himself and may escape his control."

Parmigianino - Self Portrait in a Convex Mirror

Norman Rockwell - Triple Self-Portrait

Update: Although initially conducted for my research module, I could conclude that this reading will in fact have a more direct use to the major practical project which is to commence soon. The works of Rockwell, Parmigianino, Lovis Corinth, Artemisia Gentileschi and others mentioned in the chapter (and furthermore Brilliant's commentary on them) have sparked lots of ideas for self-portraiture work, particularly in relation to the mirror/reflection - see here.