Made In The Image of God by Rachel Eades

MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD

RACHEL EADES

RACHEL EADES STUDENT NUMBER : N0418597 FASHION COMMUNICATION AND PROMOTION YEAR 2 MODULE : COMMUNICATION AND MESSAGE MODULE LEADER: SARAH LEWINGTON FASH20031

CONTENTS

I N T R O D U C T I O N ..........................................4 P U B L I C AT I O N ............................................14 C O N C L U S I O N ............................................15 R E F E R E N C E S ............................................16 I M A G E R E F E R E N C E S .................................16 B I B L I O G R A P H Y ..........................................18 A P P E N D I X ..........................................20

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Creativity moves us. Whether it gives rise to a sense of happiness, sorrow, or disgust, visual imagery has the power to convey ideas that transcend rational thought and language. When we hear the word ‘beauty’, we should connote it with factors including cultural diversity, personality and the energy of each human being as an individual. However, living as we do in a culture and digital age that glorifies the ‘perfect’ aesthetics, our association of beauty with appearance only has increased significantly.

Having been briefed with the project ‘Diversity in Beauty’, we started exploring the origin of man and the creation of beauty within the context of religion "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). Referencing the phrase ‘God created man in his own image, both male and female he created them’ (Genesis 1:1), it is implied that we have been created in his image to appreciate the beauty of each other and the surrounding environment 'God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground – trees that were pleasing to the eye’ (Genesis 2:9). Yet, in today’s appearanceobsessed society, we have inherited a tendency to tear ourselves down rather than build ourselves up. A report by the Medical Director of the NHS, Sir Bruce Keogh, reported that 63% of 11 to 16 year olds said they felt pressure to look like celebrities in 2012 (Woolf, 2012, p. 37). This study in itself exposes the danger of generation Y’s widespread desire to appear the same as their idols, of whom photos are often airbrushed and edited to appear more aesthetically pleasing in print and online media.

‘God created MAN in his own IMAGE, both male and femalE he c r e a t e D them’ F7 F8 Intrigued by the religious belief that we all started off as God’s creation, this triggered our desire to visually convey the message that the beauty of oneself stems from within; rather than the superficial image we adopt under the pressure of external influences. The actions of others frequently influence our public selfawareness, and consequently we perceive ourselves as social objects. Conditions such as scarring, acne and early baldness often lead to a decrease in levels of self-esteem and a feeling of being stared at (H. Buss, 2013).

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The charity ‘Changing Faces’ was set up by James Partridge, a victim of a car fire that left him severely burned when he was 18 years old (Changing Faces, 2013: Online). From his personal experience, Partridge understood that anyone with a condition which affected their appearance needed to emotionally accept the beauty of their body in order to feel contentment. Aiming to alter the way people view disfigurement, the charity offers advice and emotional support. Although the scheme celebrates the beauty of the diverse human form, it still singles out those with disfigurements; whereas we want to stress that our external appearance should not alter how ‘beautiful’ we really are as individuals. Interested in the relation between visual aesthetics and emotional reactions, in order to fully develop the idea that beauty comes from within, we decided to focus on scarification and burns.

Historically, the scarification of human skin has played a significant role in cultural consciousness (Ayeni, 2004). However, Christian missionaries in the 1800 and 1900s disapproved of such practices as they felt the beauty of the ‘natural body‘ should not be irreversibly modified ‘ Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you‘ (Levictus 19:28). Taking advantage of the nature of healing, African tribes have long used the practice to define identity and tell a story of tradition. Tribal members see this form of art ‘as an emblem of the strength, fortitude, and courage of both men and women’ (CVLT Nation, 2013), aside from allowing themselves to distinguish members of other tribes. This form of scarification is celebrated in that it brings a sense of pride to the wearer; the beauty of the scar is within the genetic story and pain of the healing process, rather than the actual scar itself.

In contrast to tribal scarification, people with accidental scars often experience a sense of shame and begin to associate themselves solely with the scar that they carry. This also applies to anyone with a mark or skin condition that makes their face or body look ‘different’. Ultimately, this sheds negative light on their self-acceptance and the whole issue needs to be brought into question by the media industry. It is estimated that more than half the UK population has a scar of some form, with six million people acquiring new scars each year (Nexis Online, 2000). In response to this, we carried out an experimental study on the emotional response to artistic expression; using a mix of gelatin and theatrical make-up, we created prosthetic burns on the exposed human body for one set of images. Exhibiting these photographs on an enlarged scale, detailed areas of the photograph that would otherwise escape attention become the subject of observation, challenging the public’s reaction and emphasising the psychological link between art and emotion.

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‘the b e a u t y of the scar is within the genetic STORY and PAIN of the h e a l i n g p r o c e s s ’ 7

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Aiming to transgress the emotional sense of pride demonstrated in the tribal scarring to the visual narrative within the images, we have drawn on the works of Jenny Saville, Sarah Lucas and Tracey Emin. Frequently controversial, the work of the young British artists transformed the energy and strength of the Contemporary British art scene throughout the 1990s. The charismatic power of each individual surfaced to make a significant impression on British society. Sarah Lucas’ work ‘challenged the well-made art of the home, forcing it into a more direct confrontation with social difference and working-class culture’ (Adams, 1998, p201). On a recent visit to Lucas’ latest exhibition ‘Sarah Lucas: SITUATION’ at London’s Whitechapel Gallery, we were able to witness first-hand the provocative portrayal by this artist and examination of the sexual human body as often alluded to in our tabloid-orientated society. Challenging our somewhat ‘trash culture’ sensibilities through an undercut sense of wry humour, we noted the public’s negative reaction to the exposed naked body. In a similar way to our wish to challenge confrontation to the reality of disfigurements, the minimalistic yet direct messages transmitted in Lucas’s work employ shock-tactics that amplify her strong perspective on social culture.

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Whilst Lucas’s work ‘often employs slang as part of her artistic vernacular’ (Adams, 1998, p201), occasionally portraying the female human figure as solely a sexual object; Jenny Saville’s work is a more realistic celebration of the human form. Having recently stated in an interview with The Guardian “I want to be a painter of modern life, and modern bodies”, it is evident that Saville’s work focuses on the natural abstraction of the body, rather than the ‘airbrushed’ version seen in many editorials today (The Guardian 2012: Online) . Her vast canvases celebrate the energy of the human form whilst bringing a visual personality to the piece. However, the work of these artists inevitably gains controversial media coverage and discussion, whereas our overall aim is for there not to be a topic of discussion at all, rather the beauty of the disfigurements to be accepted as normal.

‘I WANT TO BE A PAINTER OF MODERN LIFE, AND MODERN B O D I E S ‘

- J E N N Y SAVILLE 11

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Exploring the divine beauty of religion in our photographs, we have referenced Adam and Eve through the use of a male and female model in our experimental images. The light background shown in figure 21 is reminiscent of the background in Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam. Michelangelo’s works were explorations of the human form; with Renaissance painters often ‘casting the human body as a distant reflection of the perfection of the creator’, their religious works share our message that our beauty lies within us from the moment we are born (Gent and Llewellyn, 2013. p.7). The use of a black background in some images portrays the fear of the unknown; we felt the stare of the male model in his solo images successfully conveyed a sense of honesty surrounding the fear of attitudes towards oneself, he appears very honest and inviting to the viewer. In contrast, the body language in the images of our female model convey a larger sense of shame surrounding disfigurement, the photos with her facing backwards in particular suggest a disfavor of being looked at. In contrast to our experimental images, we created a set of photographs featuring a scar victim himself. Charlie, now 19 years old, had a cycling accident aged 12 which left him in a coma for two weeks; he has been left with permanent scarring to his face. Having visited the World Press Photo exhibition at London's Southbank Centre, we were influenced by documentary photography and photojournalism. In particular, the work of photographer Katherine Kiviat caught our attention, we were inspired by her documentary photography of burn victims in Pakistan. Figure 3 shows 22 year old Saira Liaquat holding a photograph of herself before she was burned with acid by her husband (Katherinekiviat.com, 2013: Online). It was this image that primarily influenced our decision to photograph Charlie holding an internal picture of himself at the time of his accident, bringing the piece to evoke the beauty of the emotional and physical healing process. A strong photograph is capable of forcing the viewer to confront reality in a way the mind doesn’t ordinarily perceive it, whilst visually representing two different time-frames allows the viewer to relate to the trauma experienced by the victim. The ambiguity surrounding the cause of the scarring intensifies the fact that others should not question his disfigurement, but rather accept it as part of his identity without further question.

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Kiviat’s use of the photograph before the burning somewhat encourages the viewer to feel pity towards Saira, whereas we wish to bring a positive stance on our images through the confidence of Charlie’s gaze. According to Majorie Ferguson’s study on facial expressions, Charlie’s invitational stare in figure 4 states he is ready for others to form an impression of his scar (Ferguson in Chandler, 2013: Online). The sharp focus on the viewer’s eyes suggests he has come to terms with the emotional trauma and is confident in his self-acceptance as ‘the more powerful are represented to be looking elsewhere’ (Lutz and Collins; 1994, p370). The symmetry of the image highlights the difference in facial features of the cheeks, yet as we are drawn to his eye contact, his scar is not instantly recognizable at face value. Aside from his stare, the stillness in his body language highlights a lack of emotion, suggesting he no longer experiences the trauma once felt in the past. In contrast, the image of Charlie looking down at his photograph is more suggestive of the psychological harm and emotional distress associated with cosmetic disfigurement. The avoidance of looking at the camera evokes accumulated connotations of vulnerability.

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Symbolically, the use of the watch as a prop readily implies a deeper message behind the use of time. It subconsciously announces the beauty of time and healing, but also symbolises that the scar is a permanent reminder of a traumatic event. The emotional journey experienced after a serious accident, burn, event or attack prove that a visual disfigurement is not just skin deep, something that an awareness of needs to be increased in today’s aesthetically scrutinizing society.

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Due to our exploration of controversial reactions and the simplicity of our images, we felt that within a publication context, our images would be best suited to the lifestyle magazine Vice. Launched in 1994 as a publication containing primarily arts and pop culture matters, in recent years the magazine has shifted to become 'the people who confront and talk about uncomfortable truths' (YouTube, 2013; Online). The articles focus on issues which mainstream publications such as Vogue could not cover without widespread complaint; recent features have included a fashion shoot referencing the suicides of famous authors, and content featuring a man who has eaten only raw meat for five years. Vice is an ideal publication to challenge people's reactions to scarification as the content constantly seeks to transgress the boundaries of the 'ideal life portrayed in the media'. Being prepared to question social normalities and divisions, our overall aim is to convey the message that you should not perceive others' flaws and traits in a negative way.

'the PEOPLE who confront and TALK about u n c o m f o r t a b l e truths' F 26

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Disfigurements are BADGES of life and each one tells its own s t o r y

Whether someone is born with a disfigurement or has developed one in childhood or adulthood, it represents the stumbling blocks in the journey of life and is a part of their identity which they should be comfortable with. Self-acceptance of the way we look is the most important factor in our visual aesthetics; if we believe in ourselves then so will the people that surround us. Disfigurements are badges of life and each one tells its own story; the diversity in the art form of the human figure is not what makes each individual beautiful, but it is the internal story that we endure.

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IMAGE REFERENCES Figure 1 -

Own Image 2013 [photograph]

Figure 2 - Beauty Confessional. 2011. Cheryl Cole starts over again, again… in Elle UK February 2010. [image online] Available at: http://www.beautyconfessional.net/2011/01/chetyl-cole-delle-ukfebruary-2011-2.html [Accessed: 18 Nov 2013]. Figure 3 - Socialifechicago.com. 2013. SociaLifeChicago | Don't make A Scene .Make THE scene. [image online] Available at: http://www.socialifechicago.com/2013/07/23/tome-tuesday-chance-the-rappercovers-dazed-confused-magazine/ [Accessed: 16 Dec 2013]. Figure 4 - KiSS 92.5. 2012. Taylor Swift’s Vogue Cover. [image online] Available at: http:// www.kiss925.com/2012/01/17/preview-taylor-swifts-vogue-cover/ [Accessed: 16 Dec 2013].

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Figure 23 - Own Image, 2013 [Photograph] Figure 24 - Own Image 2013 [Photograph] Figure 25 - Kiviat, K. 2012. Sabira: Burns Victims in Pakistan. [image online] Available at: http:// www.katherinekiviat.com/#/pakistan/burn-victims-in-pakistan/Sabira_Iram03 [Accessed: 22 Nov 2013]. Figure 26 - Own Moodboard 2013, VICE. 2013. Magazine Archive - 2013 | VICE United Kingdom. [image online] Available at: http://www.vice.com/en_uk/pages/magazine-2013 [Accessed: 22 Nov 2013]. Figure 27 - Own Image 2013 [Photograph] Figure 28 - VICE. 2013. Magazine Archive - 2013 | VICE United Kingdom. [image online] Available at: http://www.vice.com/en_uk/pages/magazine-2013 [Accessed: 20 Nov 2013]. Figure 29 - Own Image 2013 [Photograph]

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WORD COUNT - 2075 WORDS

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