In this project, entitled ‘Fine’, I play on the idea of being ‘fine’, while also describing the delicacy of the emulsion lift process. My mental state as I carry out this project feels as fragile as the emulsion, and I have to care for it as such. I explore my body and surroundings in order to present the idea of a ‘safe space’ and comment on the fact that I am a product of my environment.
By performing for the camera and making myself into a physical object (a polaroid image) I detach myself from chaotic feelings that have inspired the poses, I can look at myself as a thing, and process my emotions through the visual technique of emulsion lifts. Montaging my body with my environment, I search for a ‘safe space’ to fit and blend into; it can be exhausting and tedious, causing irreparable damage, and while the layers bring a harmony to each other, there is also a tension.
I combine my environment with my body, making my form and reality a thing to be held; I handle it with care but there are often rips and tears, the final product which I have in my mind can never be perfectly achieved because of the fragility of the emulsion. This mimics the reality of life never turning out exactly how one may want or plan it to.