I’m interested in photographing different subjects portrayed as if they were dead or in a violent fit of rage, showing them at their most shocking state of being, hoping to shift the state of shock to the viewer. In my Death Series photographs I captured the male figure as if he was about to murder an anonymous victim, filled with rage that ultimately leaves the victim murdered. By a welcome accident, I discovered that image distortions, caused by using the enlarger in an incorrect manner, created an apt visual expression befitting the violence of my subject matter. The distortions expressively capture the lack of identity that I strive for in my work by diminishing any facial features of the murder or victims. Although they were viewed as mistakes, I started to embrace them as constructive qualities that could further shock my audience.

A significant amount of my artwork has been devoted to exploring the idea of death and decay and how this subject matter effectively forces the viewer to feel shocked and appalled. The sight of death is unpleasant for many humans, seeing the human body in a state of decomposition not only frightens some viewers but forces them to fell repulsed to a state of nauseating. In my Death series of photographs, I wanted to portray humans in a state of death and decay that seemed real to the viewer but still lacking any identity. I needed a way to keep the viewers interested in seeing more of my art works, which was done by imprinting a shocking image of death into their minds, making them want to know more. I found a deep connection to Sally Mann’s Death Series photographs in the way that she used such risky subject matter to interest her viewers in the various stages of after-life, so I decided to use her idea of photographing decomposing, dead bodies. Although I was unable to travel to a forensic body farm as Mann did, (research facility for human decomposition) I set up models and scenery that were able to represent being in this bodily state. These ideas lead me to be interested in the idea of un-identification and how it helps the viewer to feel disconnected and shocked with the given subject matter.

Many artists have used death to engage issues of provoking discomfort within their audience, but often end up representing the full body with graphic detail. Sally Mann’s color photography work in her Death Series captures detailed images of the bodies’ natural stages of decomposition, regardless of how shocked or appalled her audience might be at this particular subject matter. Though, because she chooses to leave the grotesque subject matter visible to her audience, issues of shock and confusion underlie all of Mann’s work. It is these same individual-viewer relationships that I wish to try and engage into my own photography work. Rather then photographing the entire body in a full frame, I focused on capturing only parts of the individual’s body, such as the feet, arms, or torso that could portray being in the organic state of decomposition. For example, in my Death series I photographed the subjects wrinkled feet with dirt and mud crusted onto the skin. In each separate print, I captured the way in which the audience would be the most shocked yet astounded. Forcing the audience to view parts of the human’s body as decaying chunks of flesh was very important because I wanted to bring attention to the lack of identity within the individuals. The importance of hiding the person’s identity was that it forced the viewer to no longer see the individual as a human, but as a deceased carcass. We all know that seeing images of the dead makes us uneasy and very disturbed, so like Mann’s work I wanted to focus on different techniques of invoking this uneasy feeling in the viewer.

Working with grotesque subject matter opened up another issue, the unidentified being. Much like Sally Mann with her Death Series, I realized that by using the technique of lack of identity I could force the viewer to have certain reactions of disconnection and discomfort. Anonymous subjects force the viewer to remain disconnected and distressed from the photograph as a whole because they begin to see the individuals as corpses, not live human beings. This is what disturbs people when viewing dead bodies initially. To see rotting flesh on human beings that can no longer be identified. I began by taking shots of the subjects from the neck down, and then to certain parts of the body. In my photograph Waiting, I capture the subject’s arms and torso, leaving the face absent with him wearing a torn up, bloody t-shirt, against a wooded background. The lack of identity only further intensifies the uneasiness of the photograph’s lifeless manner.

This work engages the issues of lack of identity much like my Death Series does, but it helped to unlock the key issue of distorting reality by manipulating the photographs. Darkroom printing techniques allowed a way for me to embrace the physical qualities of the print that give it meaning. In my series I used enlarger distortion techniques that allowed for my photographs to appear distorted and blurred. By shifting the enlarger I was able to blur the individuals face out entirely, leaving it completely white and devoid of any detail. I first began experimenting with blurring in my photograph entitled Light in which I transformed car headlights into abstract streaks of light by shaking the camera when the shutter was open. Francesca Woodsman’s black and white photographs of women are intentionally blurry from the subject moving or from her own physical shaking of the camera; therefore obstructing the subject’s facial features, leaving them without a clear identity. Similarly, all of the photographs in my Death Series embody movement and distortion, and to see them as such disturbs the viewer because again, they can no longer identify themselves with the individuals photographed. Like Woodman’s work, capturing movement in my photographs allows the individuals to remain unidentified completely by concealing any identifiable features, such as the actual body of the car in Light.

The nature of my work is one of grotesquely portrayed scenes that present live individuals as corpses, with issues of distortion and confusion. My experience with photography and darkroom printing techniques is where my love for this theme developed; for me to explore ideas about distortion, un-identification and death. In my future work I can continue working with ideas of confusion and misrepresentation, shocking my audience and leaving them in the state of awe intended.