Jeff Enlow is a photographer, editor and curator in LA.
The series of his that I am most interested is titled 'Parallelograms'. It consists of nude portraits that use a double exposure. This double exposure, created on film, is a way of making the human body something it's not. It changes how it looks and creates something new, something we know to be not quite right.
On his website he describes the series; "Parallelograms, a nude portrait project shot on 20×24 and 4×5 instant film, is a study of the topography of the human body. Multiple exposures allows the eye to wander in and out of the intersecting and diverging hills and valleys of the human figure. The unexpected shapes that are revealed in the merging of the two exposures is a wholly new creation—a sacred third entity—that exists in no other plane but on that single instant film sheet."
Where two images overlap we see a morphing of body parts which of course is not normal to see. I feel that this is similar to my work in which i've been using long exposures. These long exposures can give my own body extra limbs, lack of limbs, lack of identity, even. While i'm not working with film because I feel that I work better with the freedom of digital, the effect is similar. From these long exposures I rid myself of these images and strip the 'me' from them in some way. This is supposed to represent the monster that is within, that hides in the body and is then released for the viewer's eyes.
Enlow decided on using Polaroid for his images and prints. While i am also working with instamatic film, I am not using it in this way. The artist said that he wanted to use this way of working due to his want to build a bridge between the photograph and the painting. While photographing the nude is already a path to doing this, the physicality of the polaroid just made sense to him.
In this image, it's clear what most eyes will divert to; the breasts. Presumably the flash creates a highlight on the breast that isn't evident elsewhere, making it stand out. And then when you look into the photo for longer you start to notice all of the oddities about this woman; the tiny neck, the two faces, and the shadows of close ups of her. She no longer presents as who she knows herself to be, she has been changed by photography, she now represents something human but not. We know the parts of her to be human, but the way they're positioned and duplicates is far from it.
The way the image/s have been photographed seem incredibly posed, medical even. It's as if the photographer aimed to have a reference to look at the human body. There's no props, no smiles, laughter, there's no emotion. This again strips the image of humanity as the woman becomes an example and a study.
This creates a mystery of the body, making it seem like something new to be discovered even though most of us are familiar with how they are - because this is new.
The way that it's shot with a plain background, a good amount of light and nothing seems to hide, makes it so that this creation isn't seen as a monster. It's not a beast to be frightened or apprehensive of. Perhaps the static pose that the model is in helps create this feeling, almost an invitation to look.
This example again creates a new body. This time, Enlow hasn't only mixed shows of the same thing, but he's used different body parts to create a morphing body. We can tell that the body belongs to a woman from the breasts and pubic area, but other than that we're not given an identity to realise that it's been stripped. What we're looking at then becomes almost an object to look at rather than a person to look at due to the way the body has been changed by the act of photography.
The way her breast seems to protrude from her thigh looks like a growth or a lump - it' undesirable. Yet what it's formed of in seen as incredibly desirable, for the breast is seem as a symbol of lust, produces food for babies and is overall appreciated in one way or another. The nipple, while faded, is visible, and so the viewer is aware that this growth or lump is actually the breast of the woman and so there's a contrast and conflict of desire and acceptance.
The model seems to be walking out of frame, as if going into the world with her new body. This differs to the image above which is rather sterile and static. This image's movement gives the body and therefore the woman that possesses it, a personality for the audience to come imagine. Personally, I see her as confident, however others could interpret this as her walking out of her old life or walking out of frame out of shame.
The overlapping image of her breast and stomach on the other hand is more on the observational side that the first image is shot in. This contrast creates a balance of sorts, and makes the audience feel that they are allowed to look, just as they were with the first image.
Overall, this work is incredibly interesting to me. I love the way that the identity of these women (and men in his other images) are blurred and fluid due to the new body they've been given. The photographic process allows for one to create something new out of something so familiar, which contradicts everything we know and all that we've been taught. This freshness makes an audience remain interested in the images and look at them for a reasonable amount of time, which then allows them to understand more about them as they observe.
While my images are much more fluid in movement, this series helps me understand just what i'm trying to achieve with my work. Sometimes you know but you can't articulate it because the reasoning for your work is so buried in your head that it feels stuck. With the help of this series it's become clear.
The series of his that I am most interested is titled 'Parallelograms'. It consists of nude portraits that use a double exposure. This double exposure, created on film, is a way of making the human body something it's not. It changes how it looks and creates something new, something we know to be not quite right.
On his website he describes the series; "Parallelograms, a nude portrait project shot on 20×24 and 4×5 instant film, is a study of the topography of the human body. Multiple exposures allows the eye to wander in and out of the intersecting and diverging hills and valleys of the human figure. The unexpected shapes that are revealed in the merging of the two exposures is a wholly new creation—a sacred third entity—that exists in no other plane but on that single instant film sheet."
Where two images overlap we see a morphing of body parts which of course is not normal to see. I feel that this is similar to my work in which i've been using long exposures. These long exposures can give my own body extra limbs, lack of limbs, lack of identity, even. While i'm not working with film because I feel that I work better with the freedom of digital, the effect is similar. From these long exposures I rid myself of these images and strip the 'me' from them in some way. This is supposed to represent the monster that is within, that hides in the body and is then released for the viewer's eyes.
Enlow decided on using Polaroid for his images and prints. While i am also working with instamatic film, I am not using it in this way. The artist said that he wanted to use this way of working due to his want to build a bridge between the photograph and the painting. While photographing the nude is already a path to doing this, the physicality of the polaroid just made sense to him.
In this image, it's clear what most eyes will divert to; the breasts. Presumably the flash creates a highlight on the breast that isn't evident elsewhere, making it stand out. And then when you look into the photo for longer you start to notice all of the oddities about this woman; the tiny neck, the two faces, and the shadows of close ups of her. She no longer presents as who she knows herself to be, she has been changed by photography, she now represents something human but not. We know the parts of her to be human, but the way they're positioned and duplicates is far from it.
The way the image/s have been photographed seem incredibly posed, medical even. It's as if the photographer aimed to have a reference to look at the human body. There's no props, no smiles, laughter, there's no emotion. This again strips the image of humanity as the woman becomes an example and a study.
This creates a mystery of the body, making it seem like something new to be discovered even though most of us are familiar with how they are - because this is new.
The way that it's shot with a plain background, a good amount of light and nothing seems to hide, makes it so that this creation isn't seen as a monster. It's not a beast to be frightened or apprehensive of. Perhaps the static pose that the model is in helps create this feeling, almost an invitation to look.
This example again creates a new body. This time, Enlow hasn't only mixed shows of the same thing, but he's used different body parts to create a morphing body. We can tell that the body belongs to a woman from the breasts and pubic area, but other than that we're not given an identity to realise that it's been stripped. What we're looking at then becomes almost an object to look at rather than a person to look at due to the way the body has been changed by the act of photography.
The way her breast seems to protrude from her thigh looks like a growth or a lump - it' undesirable. Yet what it's formed of in seen as incredibly desirable, for the breast is seem as a symbol of lust, produces food for babies and is overall appreciated in one way or another. The nipple, while faded, is visible, and so the viewer is aware that this growth or lump is actually the breast of the woman and so there's a contrast and conflict of desire and acceptance.
The model seems to be walking out of frame, as if going into the world with her new body. This differs to the image above which is rather sterile and static. This image's movement gives the body and therefore the woman that possesses it, a personality for the audience to come imagine. Personally, I see her as confident, however others could interpret this as her walking out of her old life or walking out of frame out of shame.
The overlapping image of her breast and stomach on the other hand is more on the observational side that the first image is shot in. This contrast creates a balance of sorts, and makes the audience feel that they are allowed to look, just as they were with the first image.
Overall, this work is incredibly interesting to me. I love the way that the identity of these women (and men in his other images) are blurred and fluid due to the new body they've been given. The photographic process allows for one to create something new out of something so familiar, which contradicts everything we know and all that we've been taught. This freshness makes an audience remain interested in the images and look at them for a reasonable amount of time, which then allows them to understand more about them as they observe.
While my images are much more fluid in movement, this series helps me understand just what i'm trying to achieve with my work. Sometimes you know but you can't articulate it because the reasoning for your work is so buried in your head that it feels stuck. With the help of this series it's become clear.
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