The Third Element

The third element of the After Dark Project was a large format print seen here that was hung in the entrance to the gallery upside down at the top of the stairs. Accompanying the piece was a collection of 50 or more small handheld take-away prints of the same image, the orientation of which was to be determined by the viewer.

This work when first seen is clearly recognisable as a waistline however immediately the viewer becomes aware that there is something not quite right with the image? A feeling of slight disorientation is ‘experienced’, the viewer takes a moment to realise the work is upside down, and the experience passes.

The small take-away photographs below the image become objects the audience chooses to take ownership of in any orientation they like, upside down or not. The photograph as a small handheld object is an object no less. It is the audience that makes the decision to take ownership of that object, abstracting it further and playing a role in the process of objectifying the female form through their actions

and finally the consumption of the work.