Becoming & I Know Places

Becoming

In my current project with the working title “Becoming”, I examine an aging masculinity in relation to my own younger body. I ask myself what happens when I dress up in the role of an older man and what that context creates. I want to talk about the image of the elderly and how we look at them.

I have for a long time taken pictures of older men I see on the streets. They are crooked and their bodies have been through a lot. These walking time capsules move around me, as a proof that time is running and that I am – and my body is – also aging and changing. I think of their clothes and style, that often follow a beige colour scheme. Loose suit pants and curved backs.

I look at them and I think they are beautiful. They express something strong to me, and makes me think of myself more than others do.

I aim to investigate what happens when I step into the body of an older man. With the help of costume, wig and body language, I try to disguise my own body. I put pillows under the big pants, let my back sink and try to hide my bum.

“Becoming” concerns many questions. What does it mean to enter someone else’s costume and identity? What happens to me in the man’s suit, do I have more power in this role than in mine own? Can I, as a woman, even investigate an aging male masculinity?

One of the projects elements is sculptural. I want to let the character come out of the picture and into the room to look at itself. I am experimenting with the 3D technique and have made one sculpture so far. Making this sculpture, I scanned myself in the costume and character of the older man, printed the file in styrofoam, and lastly sculptured it using carpentry filler and paint. The 3D print is like a photograph but in a new form that creates an extension from the flat photography. I like how the sculpture and photograph communicate and affect each other. This is something I want go deeper into and keep explore, making more 3D sculptures.

I Know Places

In this work, I have used costume and interiors to create scenes. I have placed my own body in my home and in my local environment. The work is an experiment. What happens when I turn the camera on myself? Can I create my own character who I am, yet not? A figure who cannot stand it anymore, and with her destructiveness she loses it. She just let it happen, although others can see.