EXQUISITE CORPSE

Final Darkroom Project, Tintype, December ‘22:

"Recently I’ve been thinking about how femininity relates to my identity as an athlete. In a fairly male dominated sport, climbing, I sometimes feel like these two aspects of my identity don’t quite go hand in hand, or are just a contrast to “traditional” femininity. I wanted to address this question by fragmenting and collaging these two aspects of myself through photos. 

Inspired by the game Exquisite Corps, I took close up portraits of sections of my body that I pieced together to highlight my perceived contrast between these two aspects of identity, yet unite them. I don’t think this was totally successful - limited prints and time meant I couldn’t take as many images as I had hoped. Nonetheless, the study of identity in general is highlighted through the close up, fragmented sections of the body that imperfectly fit coupled with detail added by emulsion inconsistencies on the tin plates. 

I have also long been intrigued by the paradox of photo as object, so I want to use the tintypes’ solidness to create a physical piece, as well as an image. I hope to push this concept further in the future. The tin slides are malleable and could definitely be used as a medium for construction/sculpture”.