The Surrealists; Christopher Volger's The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers John Gardner's Grendel
My photographs often consist of self made constructions, containing the elements of gesture, motion, performance, silhouette, and shadow.
Diving into the visual language of archetypes and symbols that have become universally known over generations of narrative, performance, and theater, the work follows the daily life and rituals of a shapeshifter -- a character though capable of taking on numerous forms, claims no ownership to a true self.
The project was originally shot outdoors in accord with a narrative script, which proved too complex to photographically convey to an audience. However, in these original photographs the elements of still life, shadow, silhouette, motion, and gesture emerged as effective devices in visually depicting narrative. Conclusively, the goal became to combine these elements together within pictures that did not literally follow a script, but rather captured moments within a specific character's life -- the shapeshifter. The project was moved indoors due to cold weather, creating the challenge of how to integrate the new photographs with the ones taken outdoors. In the end, the indoor photos, illuminated by flashlights shined through various props, proved far more interesting, and the majority of the outdoors images were scrapped.
The Shapeshifter’s Salve
There is fever in these rituals, a sense of power, and of belonging. As the practitioner, I must relinquish all claims to my body, so that visions of an ideal self can be channeled. It is an exchange of past for future; a break from circumstance for a gamble with chance. The experience is very exhilarating, even pleasurable, but the aftermath proves to paralyze. Never do I feel closer to a goal than while in that transitive moment, and never do I feel further from it, than after its conclusion. The plan has always been to wear as many masks as possible, in hopes that one would take root and blossom, though this has yet to transpire. Rest assured, I am no hollow puppet. There is content in the release. Frustration finds itself converted into energy, which keeps the dance alive. There is respect for this power. And there is fear.
