Trasformation project

I chose an image of filmmaker, Darren Aronofsky that I found on page 227 of the November 2006 issue of Wired magazine. I was drawn to this image for a number of reasons and thought that it portrayed a strong male gender identity. The title of this issue of Wired Magazine is The New Atheism, and therefore a number of the articles and images in this issue dealt with science and spirituality. I felt this image portrayed a strong sense of man as a stoic and serious, spiritual being. The image is a portrait of filmmaker, Darren Aronnofsky, a man of ordinary appearance dressed conservatively in typical male business attire, a pressed button down shirt. What makes this image unique is the lighting and the gaze of the subject, looking to the heavens, illuminated from above. Historically, communion with God has been a male concern. To this day, men hold the highest positions of power in a number of religions. I felt this image portrays this traditional representation of man as spiritual being.

The second image is the result of my transformation collage project. I used collage techniques to transform and disassociate this image with its original spiritual identity. I wanted to move the image as far from the original context of man as spiritual being , so I chose to transform the subject into a female commodity. I accomplished this by adding features and accessories that were distinctly and exaggeratedly female, focusing on idealized female features and overstated makeup. It is interesting how much this image has become cheapened by adding these female features, and how my associations change dramatically even though this new identity is built upon the original image.

Angela L.