Neo Alabastro, “Victory”
The concept behind this project is that of control, or the lack there of. I wanted to create something that represented the concept of two places: one in front of the mirror and the one behind. The image on the left represents the “real” world, or the world we see in front of us as we would perceive it through our eyes. The image on the right corresponds to the world of the mind, or things we aren’t able to materialize with our eyes. Essentially, the edited image is a descent into madness. In the first image, the figure is posed with both arms in the air; it looks like it is running a victory lap. However, on the image on the right, the arms in the air no longer look like a positive aspect, as it now appears as if the figure is having an existential experience, similar to a mental breakdown. The duplicated versions of the wooden figure are meant to be perceived as a spiral out of control; the repetitive-ness are the thoughts of success ruminating throughout its head. A keen eye would spot a Ouija board in in the first image. The board is meant to represent the thoughts that await the figure on the “other side.” These thoughts are haunting.
The process was simple for taking these images. I had two LED lights on hand that were able to change color across the entire RGB spectrum and had blinding levels of brightness. I mounted these two lights on opposite sides of each other, yet staggered them in such a way to create depth on the objects in the picture. The objects I chose were a wooden figure, a Ouija board, and a hand with metal jewelry. Although seen in the first image, the hand was not used in the second image. I experimented with different angles and light colors, as well as different focal lengths and f-stops, as seen in the contact sheet.
The process for editing the images in Photoshop was also straight forward. I used the selection tool to cut out each figure from images. For the black, silhouetted figures on the bottom right, I edited the layer properties and experimented with the satin effect. For the other cut out images, I experimented with color overlay and layer blending modes. The result was a mesh of vibrant blues and pinks, which I think looks pretty cool. The top portion of the image consists of two nearly black and white, sepia photos. These were made with the layer blend mode “difference.” In addition to these colors, I have also added some texture to the figures. For example, there is some slight blue grain on the leftmost figure. On the top right figure, there is an incredibly faint, blue silhouette behind the figure, meant to represent the figure’s soul leaving its body. There weren’t any compromises or problems that I found along the way in the process of making the edited version. I let my mind flow freely, and this is the product of the stream of consciousness.
If I had more time, I would improve this project by blending even more elements of the pictures I took together and also playing with color more. I would have designed a color palette with the lights and even more so with the objects in the picture. In that way, I would have a little more creative liberty in the positioning and manipulation of the images instead of having to worry about if colors would fit together.
