Art418 | Body

Contains discussion/ images of mature themes, Self harm + violence.

• You have or are a body 

• Philosophical 

• Separation of you are and you have 

• Touching self is an object feeling as a being 

• If you touch something,  you can feel they are objects. Feeling = object.

• Feelings inside experience: emotions. Physical and mental experience. 

• Separation of feel and feeling 

• Intertwined inside and outside experience 

• Bodily demands and expectations 
  

Task: Scratching into found film.

• Surface layer of film to represent skin 

• Scratching into it. 1.

• Controlled error and failure 

• Working to different scales. How you interact. Gesture. How you use your body.

Here is a photograph of the section of film that I worked on. Using a craft knife I began scratching off a small section on one image. After working out how much pressure to use, I worked my way along a few more images. Scratching away a little more each time, careful to not remove the main character image until the end.. If these were shown through a projector, the character would gradually disappear, fading into a blank screen.

This task made me think of Catherine Opie's work, especially pieces titled “Self-Portrait/Cutting” and “Self-Portrait/Pervert”. Opie uses her body as a ‘canvas’ explores societal issues, using her body as a ‘canvas’. Visualising personal issues through temporary pain/ self harming. She “ explores notions of communal, sexual, and cultural identity”. 

Self-Portrait/Cutting

Self-Portrait/Pervert

            https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/12201

https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/30354

1. https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/30354

 Catherine Opie. 

“contemporary concerns of queer identity,”

“deeply personal, even confessional, revealing powerful longings”

“physical vulnerability of the sadomasochistic acts”

“ “pervert” still appears as a scar, a trace of her history that carries forward through time.”

My film's scratched outcome is the opposite of Opie's work. Avoiding the figure, changing/ damaging the surrounding. It feels less painful, less aggressive whilst using a similar practice. Can an object be hurt like a person can? Does it feel the same?

 This method transfers the feeling from pain to something else. Removing some of the personal elements until the very end. And even then the scratches only affect a character, again not human.. So is there any real damage?  Despite having all of these questions, the concept of permanently altering something so delicate is interesting. The element of shock, damage being ‘vandalism’ is definitely attention grabbing. 

The separation of feel and feeling is another key concept here. Although I did not feel this scratching physically, it was my body and actions that were responsible for this damage. Exploring permanent mark making for aesthetic pleasure. Feeling and assessing what works technically. How to make a ‘cool’ visual outcome through manual edits.