Adele Giles
[The Aurora Hale Project] consisted of a series of staged self-portraits that explored what it means to be seen as a woman in society and visual culture. The project was curated for digital presentation and delved into the performances of cultivating an online identity. Drawing a parallel between the history of the female nude, and the modern-day selfie; where we continue to present an artificial version of ourselves for the benefit of the spectator.
Starting this project, I saw myself as neither a photographer nor a performer. I was an artist looking for a means of self-expression and found myself straddling the two disciplines. Throughout, I developed a strong interest in the use of the body, self-representation, relationship to the camera, and the performative aspect of photography, all of which are areas of focus of the survey publication.
A very interesting project that perfectly shows the performative aspect of photography
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment Alexandra!
Deletethis is a well-thought, gritty piece
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Kerry
DeleteI am interested to know the relationship between your posed 'selfie', a kind of contemporary Pre-Raphaelite study of your private nudity, with the backdrop of the grafitti, an art form that is usually done without permission and within public view...
ReplyDeleteHi Lar, you have hit the nail on the head with this piece.
DeleteI titled this image Venus of Merthyr (a play on Venus of Urbino). For this particular piece I was thinking about the rise in online sex workers. I was looking into the history of the female nude being painted through the eyes of men for the male spectator. Then comparing it to now, where we can take ownership of our bodies through self representation, but continue to use it to appeal to the male spectator.
This was more me “working out my own thoughts” as a female working with the subject of the body, rather than me making a direct opinion. This project was made in year 1 & 2 of my degree, so it was the first time I had been introduced to Body Politics. For that reason the project was all about experimentation and trying to find a sense of identity, and my place in the world as a young female in a digital age.
The images were originally taken for social media. Then I printed and mounted them to photograph outside. There’s various shots with some images positioned in the bin or on park benches. Making the private public (which is prevalent in social media). This piece was my favourite for the connotations of graffiti being a rebellious art form, and as you so well put it, “done without permission”. I was questioning my own stance on consent and censorship in the context of the internet.
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ReplyDeleteThe laptop also works really well in this image - there's the ambiguity of if this is a webcam looking at you or the question of what you are looking at (the camera view of your own self portarit as you take it?) a bit like the Rokeby Venus with the mirror.
ReplyDeleteThe project description: A series of staged self-portraits exploring what it means to be seen as a woman in society and visual culture. Curated for digital presentation (instagram.com) and delved into the performances of cultivating an online identity.
ReplyDeleteThrough the power of social media, we can take control, and even manipulate, how we are seen. Applying make-up, wigs, heavy photo manipulation, and a new name (Aurora Hale), the artist indulges in a social-media-obsessed culture. Drawing a parallel between the history of the female nude, and the modern-day selfie; where we continue to present an artificial version of ourselves for the benefit of the spectator.