Profiles is a study of the human facial profile, with its characteristic shape that leans on a gaze or camera at eye-level. The human depicted from the human perspective; anthropocentrism at its best. Now that technology is disconnecting the gaze or camera from our body, the 'schema' (icon, representation) of human might needs to be revised. We should learn to recognize people by a different contour. I explore this future human facial profile.
In a classic studio setup with a backdrop and natural light, I begun a form-study. I invited people who, I think, have interesting face profiles. Starting to shoot from eye level, slowly changing my point of view, climbing a ladder, directing the sitter to slightly change head and body position. A series of images arise, starting with the classic image of a person in profile. Gradually shortenings and deformations appear. While photographing I actively search for a new form, try to redefine the profile.
Looking at the resulting image is somewhat confusing. Your gaze shifts, as it were, between two ways of looking: with and without 'knowledge'. 3D or 2D. Your brain either translating the image from a 2D shape back to a rotated human face or 'reading' the image as a new shape, resulting in an unknown profile that may not conform to the human 'schema', more like a strange animal or fairy tale character.
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Martine Stig Martine Stig (b. 1972) is an artist based in Amsterdam. Point of departure in her work is the photographic image; the voyeuristic act: photography (verb) and the autonomic product: photo (noun). Whilst using the medium (and moving away from it) she researches its role in the perception of reality.
Technological progress extends our senses and turns our x-y-z world into a 360˚ space. Since we can virtually look from every high vantage point -with the help of drones and satellites- linear perspective and monocular rendition start to lose their universal self-evidence.
