Tear Off The Mask | Constructed / Transformed Realities

The work in hand is one of the seldom millions of endeavours approaching the authenticity topic.

THE CONCEPT – OR RATHER THE BURSTING OF THE CONCEPT

In this standardized world, you might expect a coherent concept, of an almost hermetic nature, describing the work in hand. Sorry for bursting your bubble, but this text is about the bursting concept, or more precisely the original conceptual approach.

The first ambitious concept was defined to explore authenticity of individuals by considering associated aspects like identity, satisfaction, self-determination and its interdependencies in an experimental way. The original concept was based on the assumption that wearing masks in the sense of playing a role is unauthentic, while, on the other hand, there is something authentic behind. A participant of this series asserted in a conversation that: “…there aren’t masks. We are always authentic – in each situation.” That statement seemed interesting and disrupting for the original conceptual approach. Georg Büchner’s drama Danton’s death (1835) took the same line:

“tear off the mask and the skin comes away with it”

Interpretation approach: The mask and the face are identical; there is no face that is not in truth a mask, no identity that is not in truth an imposture. (All Theater is Revolutionary Theater, Benjamin Bennett)

Of course, there are many aspects in the context of authenticity and identity that could be further discussed on a philosophical level, however, the limited exploration in the course of the work in hand resulted in that unexpected outcome; by definition.

Aesthetical approach

Sterz No85, Eckart Schuster special issue

Once I came across the photography Painter Of The Demonic showing a portrait of the painter Günter Waldorf – a photography by Eckhart Schuster published in the Sterz Magazine. The picture reminds on the dramatic light effects well known from Hitchcock films and Science Fiction films of the sixties. A similar strange lightning setup has been created for the series in hand. This special lightning atmosphere effects in a strong visual alienation of the subject; almost a visual inversion; The inversion superimposes seemingly on the original. Subjects wearing the light and shadows like masks.

Realisation concept

Originally the realisation concept was based on an interactive, provocative and ironic approach, combining photography, interviews and experimental involvement of the recipients. After bursting the original conceptual foundation the photographs remain to be published herein.

Associated work

In the beginning, when the idea for that photographic series rose – there was a trivial intention: Creating photographs of interesting personalities. This is what is realised with the series Individuals. This collection is the spin-off of this work, without superfluous conceptual overhead. Individuals is a portrait series about interesting personalities. That’s what it is.

The photographs of this series are published successively.

The photographs

Julia S., 2010