For my personal study, I want to explore different ways we can represent the human body. Within the project I want to show how body image has changed throughout time. The ‘ideal’ body image has constantly been developed and manipulated to suite the views of society and the media. I aim to be creative with my shoots, while at the same time, showing through my images the development and manipulation of body image. I want to do a wide range of shoots containing completely different perceptions of the human body. Although I don’t want to focus my whole project on the issues of Body Image, I am including some aspects of body dysmorphia within the context of my project. I mostly want to be creative with my ideas, but at the same time include meaning and context.
I will be researching many artists and photographers who will influence my work, such as Jenny Saville. I aim to Incorporate their ideas into my own shoots, but at the same time include my own concepts and contexts. I will explore in many ways how the human body can be represented and perceived. I want to include my love for art within this project by using and working with different materials, including paint, Clingfilm and other objects. At some point in the project I want to create some sort of suit or outfit that someone will wear during a shoot. The point of this is to express and symbolize how the ‘ideal’ body image has changed through time. It will also represent people dealing with dysmorphia, and how what they endure. The images bellow are ideas that I aim to incorporate within the outfit.
Another view I want to incorporate and research within my project is the use of the body to represent emotions. The body is an expressive tool and I aim to photograph it in a creative way symbolising certain emotions. I believe this will end up being the main aspect of my project based on body image.