Smith made his photography debut with ‘Artist Rifles’ a series of photos of fake war scenarios created by his own experience in the army.
‘Artist Rifles was to become the first chapter in Paul’s interrogation of the many-headed beast that is masculinity, of what it means to be a man. The most immediate subject of this enquiry was naturally to confront his own reasoning for joining the army.’
The cloning of the protagonist creates a appropriate metaphor for the army’s effect on an individuals identity and creating group identities (Brothers in Arms) This duplication of himself is a very effective method to emphasize the struggles of male identity, fitting in and belonging to a group / community.
Smith has used this technique multiple times after his Artist Rifles project with himself and others. for example his advertising campaign with Robin Williams or his second self protrait project ‘Make My Night’
‘Make My Night’ follows a group of lads on a night out consisting of good laughs, pranks, fights, drinking and, inevitably, the rough morning after. ‘ As before, he becomes the anonymous everyman but this time is more overtly the narrator as well as the protagonist of a frequently observed ritual.’
My attempt at the repeated protagonist effect:
