How The Selection Can Change The Work
A little over five years ago, I posted quite minimally on Reed Massengill's near decade long photographic essay on Brian Hess - 'Brian: A Nine-Year Photographic Diary' (FotoFactory Press, California, 2001).
The images chart Brian's sometimes radical physical transformations (tattoos and piercings to scarifications) from 1992, when he graduated high school at 18 ...
... to 2000.
Over this period the photographer and model became friends.
I wanted to do a series of posts, looking at the major image changes Brian undertook over the 9 year essay.
I know my selection of images can/will change the work, and our identifying images we like will say as much about us as it does about Massengill's photography.
Before I launch out on such a venture, I first wanted to check if this essay hasn't been so over-exposed, in the gay community in particular, so that such a series of posts would only elicit groans loud enough to be heard in far off Sydney, rather than tease out interested responses.
What do you think guys?
I say "go for it". I enjoy seeing photos of people as they change over their lifetime. And he looks like he'll be interesting to see his changes.
ReplyDeletehey glen
ReplyDeleteyeah, the changes are extraordinary - he seems to be experimenting with identity at a deeper level than most - and he's explores beyond boundaries we'd stop at
like seeing the images again myself - like good old friends - so i'll enjoy doing a number of posts and hope you do too
cheers
I've only seen a few of the later photos and was really horrified by them, wondering how someone could do that to himself. But then, I'm Mr. Vanilla and I think he looked adorable in the first photos.
ReplyDeleteI suspect you know David Leddick's books, NAKED MEN and NAKED MEN TOO that had photos of art work of guys when they were young, next to pix of them years later. Interesting idea, especially since some of the early pix have become gay icons. (And, boy, did I droll over a couple of pix of thew whole Ted Shawn Dance Troop stark naked in 1938...love to find more of those, and to hear how the dancers felt about it later on, and hear about how their lives had played out.)
That said, aging is one thing, severe body modification is quite another. One I find intriguing, the other quite deeply disturbing. But then it could be argued that art is supposed to disturb us deeply and we don't have to look if we don't want to.
hi paul
ReplyDeletemy initial reactions to brian's 'journey' we very mixed. i was led in by something of the fascination that had me glued to my seat for the british documentary 'seven up'. i'm sure you'll know it. and the Russia version - one little boy made me cry - never taken from the orphanage and shyly and sadly wondered why
i've browsed David Leddick's books from a friend's book shelf - and 'The Male Nude' in my local and favourite bookshop, 'ariel'
i'd heard but not much else about Ted Shawn Dance Troop's naked images - while i was reading about his sometime partner in dance, ruth st dennis - and was watching film of her performing 'Indian Noche'
but back to brian and body modification, the more i look at the images, surprisingly to me, the less horrified i've become - and more than anything else i feel a little unadventurous in 'pushing my boundaries', as the awful phrase goes. i guess i'm something of a 'mr vanilla' too. i'm in good company!
Hey Nick -- I never saw the pictures, and I'm sure you'll do the subject justice. Bring it on!
ReplyDeletehi Bob
Deleteglad the Jade Sphinx goes on - great work, really enjoy it
1993 will be the next 'Brian' - a pivotal change point - interesting to see him begin to click over into a new vision of himself
cheers
cheers
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