Work in Progress + Planning
The project I’ve embarked on and started creating work towards in the last module is all aimed at exploring matters pertaining to personal identity and the self.
At the end of last year I through I’d go via a different route rather than self-portraits to create work in this module. But for many reasons (‘lockdown’ included but not the main driver) I decided that there needed to be more done to work towards completing the picture of ‘me’.
As this project stage is all about expressions and self-presentation, focusing on duality or conflict, I am exploring different sides of my personality and recent life experience to reflect and create images that depict these themes but also delve deep into my journey of self-acknowledgement and self-knowledge.
These are some ideas and concepts I am looking to explore and they will be central to the images I will be creating:
duality of personality, reflecting on the ‘good’ and the ‘bad’ that is fundamental and indivisible in the human nature, not necessarily from a moral or religious point of view but also considering personality types, states of mind, conflicting emotions
acknowledging the ephemeral nature of beauty but perhaps represented through a seemingly conflicting strong fashion statement - somewhat speaking of attitude rejecting anyone trying to impose standards on me
an introvert operating in an extroverted world, showing vulnerability and strength
people-pleaser, giver, putting others first, somewhat to the detriment of the self
dual citizenship and the complexity of cultural identity
self-confidence (lack of) and a reflection of women perceiving their defects above their qualities, anti-Narcissus
a reflection of ‘escaping’ the male-dominated corporate world I was in to embrace the arts world, a testament of the life change I made in the last decade
what’s in a name? a reflection of personal identity as a woman faced with changing her name following marriage, then divorce, and the difficulty to just identity with the prior ‘maiden’ identity, why are we so reliant on surnames when they are focused on belonging, not identity?
explore more the relationship with grief and losing mum, a statement of personal transformation, coming to terms with her absence but acknowledging the joy at identifying with her qualities as I grow older
too much information - being bombarded by ‘bad news’ or adverts (a-la Black Mirror) and freeing myself from the deluge of negativity and consumerist stress
my childless state and a reflection of women facing a similar life either through choice, fate or loss
