Artist Statement- Self Portrait
When I first started working on my self-portrait I thought about making something very personal, intimate, which is why I choose to shoot it in a small room of the basement of our house. I used almost half of my wardrobe and threw them simply all on the floor. Then I sat right in the middle of them and partly covered myself with them until it felt comfortable. I actually intended to ask one of my housemates to take pictures of me, but she then had no time to help me, so I had to figure out a way to do it myself. I normally I prefer working on my own and I hate it when others take pictures of my, so this was not a bad thing in fact, so I used the self-action release. I placed the camera on a chair and took a few test pictures to make sure the angle was right. I took about thirty pictures and could not really decide which one to take until I ad the idea to layer the two I liked best in Photoshop. Afterwards I printed the inverted picture on acetate and took it into the darkroom. There I had some minor troubles to find the right time of exposure, which turned out to be five seconds. I then put the paper into all three chemicals and waited until it would be fully developed and dry.
My self-portrait reflects the idea that every human is built up of several different layers, which are revealed depending on the situation we are in. The clothes represent those layers and how we create them in order to protect ourselves. The only time we can fully be ourselves, is when we are ensured that no one is around us and that we are completely alone. I sometimes feel like getting rid of each one of those layers, but at the same time I fear, just like everybody else does, being totally exposed to the world, which is why we keep holding on to our protection. But this is not only a bad thing, sometimes we need something to hide behind, that shelters us and protects us from all the terrible things happening around us. They help us until we become strong enough to be able to finally remove at least some of them.
What is Media Studies? The Integrated Media Studies classes are mandatory, trimester, non-elective courses, grades 9-11 that are integrated into the cultural history curriculum. In all the Media Studies courses, students learn to deconstruct and construct media via collaborative and individual projects and activities, production, discussion, and written reflection. This is a double-period class.
Friday, November 22, 2013
Self Portrait- Maggie Schima
Artist Statement- Self Portrait
When I first started working on my self-portrait I thought about making something very personal, intimate, which is why I choose to shoot it in a small room of the basement of our house. I used almost half of my wardrobe and threw them simply all on the floor. Then I sat right in the middle of them and partly covered myself with them until it felt comfortable. I actually intended to ask one of my housemates to take pictures of me, but she then had no time to help me, so I had to figure out a way to do it myself. I normally I prefer working on my own and I hate it when others take pictures of my, so this was not a bad thing in fact, so I used the self-action release. I placed the camera on a chair and took a few test pictures to make sure the angle was right. I took about thirty pictures and could not really decide which one to take until I ad the idea to layer the two I liked best in Photoshop. Afterwards I printed the inverted picture on acetate and took it into the darkroom. There I had some minor troubles to find the right time of exposure, which turned out to be five seconds. I then put the paper into all three chemicals and waited until it would be fully developed and dry.
My self-portrait reflects the idea that every human is built up of several different layers, which are revealed depending on the situation we are in. The clothes represent those layers and how we create them in order to protect ourselves. The only time we can fully be ourselves, is when we are ensured that no one is around us and that we are completely alone. I sometimes feel like getting rid of each one of those layers, but at the same time I fear, just like everybody else does, being totally exposed to the world, which is why we keep holding on to our protection. But this is not only a bad thing, sometimes we need something to hide behind, that shelters us and protects us from all the terrible things happening around us. They help us until we become strong enough to be able to finally remove at least some of them.
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