The theme I decided for my Movement pieces was domestic abuse. I was inspired by the Take Back the Night march in Ithaca, held by the Advocacy Center, that I volunteered at a few weeks prior. Domestic and relationship abuse is so common yet it is rarely talked about and is often seen as taboo. I originally wanted to create a piece I could use towards my concentration for AP art which is surrounding women’s empowerment but this theme came to me while gathering visual research and I felt like running with it. I used movement in the piece to signify a struggle as well as fear. It’s a tryptic and each photo portrays and uses movement in a different way - all pertaining to the theme. The first signifies an internal struggle to escape the confinements of an abusive relationship. There was not much photoshop used, I just adjusted the photo using levels, contrast, and brightness. The face looking up and the face looking down was create using a slow shutter speed on the camera. I also used the burn tool to intensify the hand bruises around her neck, which I made using purple lipstick and brown eyeshadow. The second was the only one I used photoshop to combine photos in. I used three photos taken with normal shutter speed and combined them using overlay and layer masks. This created a different look; the movement here is unique to the previous photo. It shows reflection as the woman touches the bruises on her eye and neck which became less visible with the additional layers. The black eye was made more visible using the burn tool as well. The last photo was altered using levels and brightness and contrast. This photo is striking because of the evident fear in the woman turning her head, it looks as if she is whipping around to face something or someone. This photo was also taken using slow shutter speed. Together, the three photos demonstrate the narrative of an unhealthy relationship of abuse, fear, and entrapment.
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The narrative of my piece was the concept of Heart vs Head and the internal struggle of choosing which to follow. This is evident in the divide made by the bridge, leaving the head in the clouds and the heart or bottom half of the figure more dark but with emphasis on a bright light. Personally, I tend to lead by my heart and that is not always the best way to go. However, that is why the chest is so bright, it symbolizes letting the heart take over and rule the body. About 3/4ths of the figure is covered by the darkness of under the bridge which is the symbol of heart, making the piece much more personal to me as that is how I am. Though, rational thought is, I believe, much more valued in society. Thinking problems out before acting is usually the way to produce the best results out of life and everyone has the ability to step back and think. Because I am less likely to do so, the clear, unmuddled sky which represents rational thought takes up less of the piece.
Contrast between the dark of the bridge and the vibrant blue sky communicates the exponential differences in the results of being ruled by heart or by head. Head creates more planned and well thought out results, whereas heart becomes muddled and complicated. On top of that, the contrast between the darkness around the growing bright light on the chest is another symbol in itself. Generally, letting your heart rule your life is looking down upon but in the end, heart is all we have. This is shown in the darkness surrounding the bright light emphasized in the center of the chest. The light expands throughout the chest and spreads across the black showing that heart with persist nonetheless. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
May 2017
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