OUAD603- Practical Experiments

I have looked at webcam girls, and their choice to take part, in a positive light. However there are grey areas, that I did not include because I was so focused on the positives. Perhaps now, I can create a more rounded/ three dimensional depiction of the profession.

I hung this plastic sheeting, to project onto at the calls.

I was experimenting with projecting the webcam girl’s quotes on a larger scale, to make more impact. The material I chose added an interesting, sinister suggestion. Something about the ghost like way it moved, and the associations that people have with that type of thin plastic made it feel quite dark. So I decided I would not go any further with it, because it didn’t celebrate female sexual desire etc etc. I think because I have worked so hard to paint a positive picture of the industry, it has made my opinion bias and perhaps not entirely correct, and so I am working on breaking this down a little, and accepting the dark undertones of the industry.

Above I was playing with the idea of silhouettes.

I tried it on a different type of plastic, and it was interesting seeing how it suggested very different meanings. This plastic made me think of PVC, and the plastic costumes she would wear for some of her roles. The dirt is just from the projector, but I chose not to clean it off because the smeer mark added the idea of the profession being sort of dirty. I want to carry on experimenting with projections onto different types of plastic.

Which ever way my practice goes, I am very sure that I want to keep the voyeuristic aspect. I want my audience to peep in on this lifestyle. I pierced a hole through the plastic placed in front of a mirror, so you could peep through it, and when you peeped through, you were confronted with your own reflection but just a shadowy reflection because you were stood behind the plastic. My intention for doing so was to raise an awareness in the audience of their presence. So that they question their role of voyeur. I am unsure If I wanted to carry on experimenting with mirrors. I have not made my mind up yet about it.

I then added the quotes on top of the mirror, so that you are still peeping in onto the quotes. Again im not entirely sure I was happy with the result and am unsure whether or not to carry on working with mirrors.

I bought a peephole that is usually fitted in a door, to highlight the privacy, and again really address the role of voyeur. This is an image looking through the peep-hole onto the quote projected onto the plastic. It gives an interesting perspective and I want to carry on experimenting with it. I am now looking to assemble some sort of temporary wall and fit the peephole, and then behind it experimenting with projection and plastics. Roeland gave me the idea of projecting onto buildings. I think I am going to look at doing that too!

The Image itself is quite interesting with the light spilling out. However not sure how relevant it is.

OUAD603 Lacan and The Mirror

Lacan’s theory of the mirror, and the unified/ split self is something that really interests me. When researching the role of a Webcam girl, and the potential affects on her psyche, it seems intrinsic to feminine roles and psychic well-being, even if the mirror is in association with narcissism. Via practical experiments (as well as theoretical and artist research) these areas.

Below is my research on Lacans theory of the split self:

Jacques Lacan (1949), in his paper, ‘The Mirror Stage as Formative of the Function of the I as Revealed in Psychoanalytic Experience.’ (Terry Gamel. 2009), speaks of the role of the mirror and it’s split between ‘I’ and ‘other’ when referring to a ‘unified self’. His theory nullifies the notion of cogito ergo sum; the understanding that one’s ability to think, results in the ability to conceive a unified ‘self’. When one imagines oneself, solely from depictions portrayed by the ‘other’ without seeing one’s own reflection, it would be a ‘self’, painted from the impressions of others, excluding what ‘I’ perceives as ‘self’. Therefore a unified self cannot exist without a mirrored reflection (Terry Gamel. 2009). John Zuern (2009) in accordance to Lacan’s (1949) theory states, ‘Any self-knowledge is to some degree an illusion’ (Terry Gamel. 2009. 30/12/2014). According to Lacan (1949), the mirror reflects an illusion, an illusion of what ‘I’ perceives as ‘self’. Lacan’s (1949) theory states that when ‘other’ and ‘I’ are merged, a more unified depiction of one’s self is achievable: the mirror acting as a tool for the necessary development of one’s psyche (Terry Gamel. 2009).

Instead of people thinking of mirrors as a narcissistic mode of self-enquiry but rather necessary tools for the psychic development, and were then somehow exposed to this theory via visual representation, it could also break down the preconceptions of female narcissism.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

TERRY GAMEL. (2009). Summary of Lacan’s ‘The Mirror Stage as Formative of the Function of the I as Revealed in Psychoanalytic Experience’. Available: http://www.academia.edu/1539509/Summary_of_Lacan_s_The_Mirror_Stage_as _Formative_of_the_Function_of_the_I_as_Revealed_in_Psychoanalytic_Experience _. Last accessed 30/12/91.

OUAD603- Questioning the use of imagery

Previously I have been too concerned with what might be misconstrued with the use of imagery in my work. My topic is sensitive and pornographic imagery can be read the wrong way so easily. Researching th ruse of imagery I found the following quote:

‘Indeed, Madison Avenue knows too well the power of imaging and the message images can promote. Something that is neutral in our perspective, can be juxtaposed with something that is positive, thus creating a spread phenomena to the positive element. A car with a pretty woman’…’In the trade, this is called image juxtaposition, or positioning a product next to a desired image.’ (Al Condeluci.1995. p28)

The quote above supposes a neutrality in the observer, however, especially in reference to the context of my work, one can not assume such neutrality in my audience. However I am not sure I want to rule using imagery out, and is something I will come back to later.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Al Condeluci (1995). Interdependence: The Route to Community. 2nd ed. London: St Lucie Press

OUAD603- Proposal

My focus so far has been looking at the possible positives being a Webcam Girl can have on the Psyche. COP3 has really engaged me and I still feel strongly that girls who choose to do so should not be shunned or looked down upon by society. However it is time to look at the industry from a different perspective.

I want to look more towards the people who watch Webcam Girls, and perhaps their reason for doing so. This could cast a darker light over my practise however I want a balanced picture. I do not want to preach what is right or wrong but think it is important for my research to take a step further from just the webcam girls themselves.

I also want to broaden my research by starting to look at the porn industry. Webcamming and Porn are very much put under the same umbrella when it comes to who views it. I want to see who watches it. What effects this can have on their psyche rather than the Webcam Girls or Porn performers. I want to do some primary research and see for myself what effects watching porn/webcamming has on their phyche.

I think it is time to use more imagery, and move away from text. This scares me because I know, especially with my area of research, imagery can so easily portray the wrong message to an audience and so I will have to be careful. Perhaps I could use film as a media, instead of static photos, to explain the outcome of my research better? Ensuring my audience do not get the wrong idea. I am quite attached to the idea of using the peep-hole because I think it really engaged my audience. It also references well the idea of voyeurism, which I think is integral to those who watch it. However I need to be careful in and not let the peep-hole limit my practical experiments. I want to experiment using different materials that link to the porn industry, for example PVC and plastic?

At the moment I am very unsure of where my research might take me and so it is hard to think how my work will visually represent my findings. I feel I have a lot of research do to before I will really know exactly what I am saying in my work.