LES
APPARENCES
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SALTATION
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UNTITLED
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HUIS CLOS
Saltation is a series of three self-portraits that explore the relationship with the self, the body and the posture adopted to face the external gaze. Through notions of self-control and appearance management, this work explores how each individual constructs their own representation, constantly oscillating between self-expression and the pressure to adopt certain social poses.
The initial intention of this series was to play with relatively conventional, stereotypical poses derived from certain social codes, and then to counter them by adopting their opposite stance. However, once the range of possible poses had been exhausted, preparation gave way to improvisation and more unusual expressions. Developed around an automatic shooting protocol, approximately five-hundred images were produced, all taken with a camera placed frontally against a white paper background and lit from multiple sources to ensure an even scene. As the images progressed, I gradually let go, sometimes finding myself hunched over, sometimes stretching out, reminiscent of Robert Longo’s Men in the Cities series.
Ultimately, this work is about how we play with our own image and the inherent complexity of any quest for self-representation. It also highlights the ambiguity of the control offered by photographic editing when attempting to convey a symbolic truth.