Tuesday 28 February 2012

High School - Locrin Stewart

HI CLASS! IT'S ME! AGAIN!

So high school. I'm not sure what the split is between people who remember high school for being a happy place and those who think of it and remember a sad or otherwise terrible place, I'm kind of in between on it. The beginning and end years were mostly good, the middle years mostly not good. During my high school career, in any case, I took up self harm as a form of coping with depression and not knowing what to think. As a result, I wear my high school career on myself. Because I believe that the past is a very important part of a person, I decided to revisit it (this is also because I am stupid), looking at what it means from an artistic perspective. The series of six photographs below document the healing process, the first one being day one, the last one day fourteen. I wanted to shoot the images in a way that didn't make them arts or anything, just presented them as they are. As a result, bits of background are visible in them, colour isn't exactly consistent through and through, and they lack a "polished" look. 

Any input would be appreciated, I am going to continue documenting the process until it is no longer necessary (if that's even a thing). 

:)

6 comments:

  1. This is an interesting concept, and I admire your dedication to it. I think if you cropped each photo more in, so it's just skin and scars, it would be more effective. Right now I'm distracted by the shape of your leg.

    - Lucy

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  2. think there could have been a more tasteful and artistic way to portray even this subject matter.

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  3. Come on guys, if you're going to criticize at least have the balls to put your name down and give some constructive feedback.
    Locrin, I almost don't want to give you advice on how to improve this concept because I don't want you to cut yourself again! But this is something a lot of folks deal with in high school eh so there's merit to it and I think if you put more artistic thought into it, it could be powerful. Maybe you could work with a makeup artist? I have a friend (ironically from high school) who is a professional makeup artist who specializes in wounds and stuff like that. I could hook you up if you want?
    I think maybe if there was some context to it, like doing a staged scene maybe, and doing it with good lighting in the studio, then it would be more powerful.
    -alex haney

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  4. Hmm okay I went back and read your description and noticed it was your intention not to make it "artsy". Can you explain your reasoning for that so we can understand your intention better? Were you trying to make them look like snapshots taken by a high school kid?
    -alex h

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  5. Locrin

    Yes, I'm not crazy about you revisiting this behavior for the photographs...especially if it's something you have resolved and moved on from. Because of the deadpan way you've shot this, it becomes more about a comparative study of time rather than about depression or high school. But that time can obviously serve as a metaphor for the healing of wounds and perhaps the growth you've achieved since high school. Perhaps it is more interesting to photograph the scars you have from old wounds rather than staging new ones?

    -Robyn

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