Fragmented
For this project I created a collage style portrait about self-image and external perception. The image depicts a woman’s face fragmented by torn paper edges, as if her identity has been ripped apart and reassembled. The torn sections reveal different layers of her face, creating a sense of disconnection and reconstruction. I wanted this to serve as a commentary on social media culture and the realities of people using retouching methods to edit themselves and alter their features. The images were free use photos, and I used generative AI to create a version of the woman with her eyes closed for the blinking effect in the animated version.
https://unsplash.com/photos/a-piece-of-lined-paper-with-red-lines-hKfKmfvPY44
https://www.pexels.com/photo/craft-paper-texture-7002678/
https://unsplash.com/photos/portrait-photography-of-woman-in-black-top-oYFv-_JKsVk
I genuinely love the concept and the execution of this work. There wasn’t a dramatic change or anything but you get the feeling that the person in the portrait feels fragmented or parts of a whole that are sometimes at ends with other parts. It’s small and subtle but done well. The work did not have to be loud and have many moving parts to get the message across. While, yes, i think a static look for the work looked/worked well, the moving parts in the video give more meaning to the fragmented feeling of the person. They are parts that move individually, not a whole connected but more so glued together.
ReplyDeleteJessica Holler’s Portrait was very well made. The piece has a seamless paper texture that balances well with the background. The slight movements, such as the blinking eyes, are just enough to keep the viewer engaged. Overall, the simple yet conscious design choices are what help this piece stand out from the rest.
ReplyDeleteJessica’s work is a portrait of a woman. It seems to be in the style of a collage. Almost as if each part was taken from a magazine and put together to create one portrait. The background is a wrinkled piece of notebook paper. In the video motion is created with the different cut outs of the portrait. The eyes also blink a couple times throughout the short clip.
ReplyDeleteWhen looking into the deeper meaning of this piece and just glancing at the title, I interpret this as someone who has different sides of them. Depending on the environment someone is in, people tend to act differently. I also think this could be thought about in terms of identity and labels. Society puts people in categories and tries to make people into who they deem “perfect” or socially acceptable.
With hints from the title of this piece it’s not hard to think of the deeper meaning. This piece works as a portrait because it is a literal portrait. However it is a composite of what looks like two different portraits of the same person. The movement works in this piece because the pieces are made to represent that nothing is permanent and things can be moved around.
I could see this work as a part of a campaign. Specifically one about the way social media has affected how we see people. I think it would be interesting as a part of something like that to bring awareness to how insane beauty standards are, especially in the United States.
Overall, this is such a good use of compositing. The use of motion goes perfectly with the rest of the piece. This piece successfully communicates what it was meant to. I believe that if this piece were taken even further that this could be apart of a huge campaign built to bring awareness to the issues that are associated with social media and identity.