Constructed Portraits
I have created Constructed Portraits using my archive of photographic negatives, the labor of my hand, and modern tools, including AI. Instead of relying on technology to create, I use it to revise and generate components that I assemble into a female-presenting portrait. My process allows me to infuse craftsmanship and a study of beauty into the work while addressing an elusive topic: the optics of female representation.
Our acceptance of female beauty standards has had insidious consequences. This work raises questions about how these standards are encoded. There is a nuanced negotiation here, highlighting the tension between digital alteration and physical reality, as well as between the aesthetic and the grotesque. By requesting the machine to "make her more beautiful," I intend to stimulate a deeper reflection on our societal notions of desirability.
The contrast between the real and the invented in this work is purposefully unsettling. The subjects depicted appear to be aware of being photographed. In repose, they convey a sense of understanding that the moment is significant and enduring. One can also discern a self-consciousness. However, neither the person nor the moment is preserved in these images. Instead, they are constructed, collaged, and altered to such an extent that the figure no longer retains any connection to the parts from which she was made.
There is a fair amount of hysteria associated with this body of work, stemming from the appearance of the images, the methods I have used to create them, and the identification of the work as lens-based and photographic. People are accustomed to seeing photographs as truthful representations of reality, and this work disrupts that belief. Moreover, discomfort arises from the broader implications of using advanced technology in art, with a pervasive fear that machines will replace human creativity and craftsmanship. This work taps into those anxieties, revealing our deep-rooted fears of becoming obsolete—not only as photographers but also as humans.
Our acceptance of female beauty standards has had insidious consequences. This work raises questions about how these standards are encoded. There is a nuanced negotiation here, highlighting the tension between digital alteration and physical reality, as well as between the aesthetic and the grotesque. By requesting the machine to "make her more beautiful," I intend to stimulate a deeper reflection on our societal notions of desirability.
The contrast between the real and the invented in this work is purposefully unsettling. The subjects depicted appear to be aware of being photographed. In repose, they convey a sense of understanding that the moment is significant and enduring. One can also discern a self-consciousness. However, neither the person nor the moment is preserved in these images. Instead, they are constructed, collaged, and altered to such an extent that the figure no longer retains any connection to the parts from which she was made.
There is a fair amount of hysteria associated with this body of work, stemming from the appearance of the images, the methods I have used to create them, and the identification of the work as lens-based and photographic. People are accustomed to seeing photographs as truthful representations of reality, and this work disrupts that belief. Moreover, discomfort arises from the broader implications of using advanced technology in art, with a pervasive fear that machines will replace human creativity and craftsmanship. This work taps into those anxieties, revealing our deep-rooted fears of becoming obsolete—not only as photographers but also as humans.