New Project, New Passion

My project is now based upon Multiple personality disorder as it is important to recognise that this is an illness that effects a lot of people  and creating images to display what it could be like would be very effective and hard hitting for people to see. It would also create awareness of the illness and what people go through.

The cause is believed to be due to childhood trauma. In about 90% of cases there is a history of abuse in childhood, while other cases are linked to experiences of war or health problems during childhood.

This is diagnosed about six times more often in females than males which is not surprising as a lot of people do tend to assume it is more of a female issue. 

Looking into the subject I found an artist called Alex Garant who paints realistic portraits that capture subjects in multiples. Using traditional portrait techniques, her oil paintings combine graphic design elements with abstraction in great detail. Looking at her work is like getting lost in an optical illusion, where colourful patterns are key to holding the composition together. This had spurred me to feel the need to experiment with different colour backgrounds as I have only been thinking to use black as that was what was used when we looked at this set up in one of the photography sessions. 

Symmetry and duplication are important tools which Garant uses to engage her viewer. They can add to the overall image effect, inducing a physical reaction that makes us look beyond their prettiness. this is something I want to achieve with lowering the shutter speed so that the model has enough time to move into a different position using a different expression.

I have also looked at the work of Jeff Huntington who was inspired by his father who had Alzheimer's, which he then began to experiment with perspective. Using his father, nieces and nephews as subjects, Huntington developed a new portrait style that illustrated not only fragmented and  confused states, but also his own shifting and often challenging feelings about his fathers illness. This is why Jeff Huntington is a valuable artist to look at as he focuses on perspectives which is an interesting approach to take.