The final presentation of the three selected images.
Initial Beginning
After researching our three selected artists, I was determined to recreate a piece by Carrie Mae Weems. There was a certain image I fell in love with. It was a black silhouette in the distance, facing the sea. The light and muted tones against the dark body captivated me. Due to time constraints and location being an issue, I had to choose another artist. During class I finally decided on Felix Gonzalez-Torres.
Research
Felix Gonzalez-Torres is a Cuban artist. He pursued art studies at the University of Puerto Rico, a BFA in photography from Pratt Institute, awarded the degree of Master of Fine Arts by the International Center of Photography and New York University. His most known works are photography and installation pieces. January 9th, 1996 he died of Aids in Miami, Florida. Through his work, love, death, politics, and HIV/Aids are reoccurring themes.
I decided on recreating Torres’ billboard image of a bed. I love the simplicity of the picture, but also the deeper meaning within. The crinkled sheets and pillows show the presence and absence of bodies. A private space presented in a public space was quite the contrast to what we’ve become instilled to see, which are advertisements. It comments on the HIV/Aids crisis and the government’s right to dictate what we do in the privacy of our homes.
Process
My recreation of the bed billboard piece began with a sketch of the bed. I traced an image I printed out in a more geometric style instead of realistic. To fully understand Torres’ process, I took pictures of a bed in a similar style and format. Not only did I take digital pictures, but I also tried film. So, I had a drawing, digital and film image. After, I had to create a work inspired by the billboard.
While keeping in mind the idea of private spaces brought into the public and HIV/Aids, I was able to create a similar concept. My idea was to create a series of bathroom images to shed light on the issue of gender-identification and gender-neutral bathrooms. I find that individuals should have to the choice to use the bathroom with which they identify with. I’ve noticed that in New York, it’s more of an issue that’s being solved slowly with the increase of gender neutral bathrooms. Whereas in the South, I have yet to see one.
My series of images were taken in public and private bathrooms around New York City. One stylistic choice I made was to use the mirror in the bathrooms to look into the stalls. With the stall doors open, I wanted to somehow mimic the presence and absence of bodies, similarly to Torres’ bed. With these, I took both film and digital images. After choosing the final three that I wanted to be in the final series, I printed them in an A4 size to emphasize the act of invading ones privacy. In order to see more details, one must look close into the picture.
One of the most important parts of this final was my process board. I created a board detailing the different prints and edits I took. I felt that it was important to show because of this lack of appreciation for photography in our society. I presented the many different images I took and how I had to edit them after a print went horribly wrong. By looking at the culling process and how I started even amazed me. There’s an extensive amount of work that goes into photography and I was pleased to share that process with my professors and peers.
Contact sheet of the digital images.
There recreation process with the drawn image, as well as the digital and film picture recreations.
The different printed edits of the film and digital images.
The final presentation of the three selected images.
Summary
Overall, I’m quite proud of this series. This was a project that I was absolutely passionate about and felt strongly toward the issue. The topic of gender identification and gender-neutral bathrooms is still present in our U.S. society. I’m happy to have been able to represent this struggle through images inspired by Felix Gonzalez-Torres.
These are the final images
