Senior Thesis: Reliquary

My senior thesis project was something that I had been fearing and looking forward to for a very long time.  It was my time to show what I was made of: to go bigger than I had ever gone before, to work harder, create more, give more, and to in all ways create a series that was better than anything I had created before.  I like to think that I reached my goal. 

After creating my original body of work, Woman of Folklore, I decided I hadn't pushed myself enough.  I made the costumes, the lighting was great, my idea was clear, and I had a message; but it just wasn't good enough.  It wasn't deep enough.  You could see that my heart wasn't in it.  I had to start again. 

Then I saw the book Heavenly Bodies by Paul Koudounaris, and fell in love.  It was everything I loved in my art: the dichotomy of beauty and fear.  But not only were the images terrifying and awe inspiring, they inspired something that had been growing in me for quite sometime: the question of Christianity.  

The reality of christianity and the undeniable truth that some see in the bible has been something that has cast confusion and doubt on my heart for many years.  I have never seen this all loving God.  How have you?  With all the things wrong in this world, how can you believe in an over arching God who knows everything; knows the terror that happens in this world, and still believe he loves us?

I know I am not alone in these questions,and it is my hope that everyone-from christians to atheists- considers these things as well.

Artist Statement

Fate 

I started the series with Fate.  Do we control our own destiny, or is it predetermined?  The red string is from an asian myth of how those who are destined to meet are bound together by a red string.  The candles are for prayer: one common way to send a prayer is to light a candle, and what does one pray for more than to change their fate?

I hand beaded/painted the dress to mimic the heavily 

beaded bones and clothing of the catacomb saints.

Another inspiration for this series was the byzantine icons.  Icons were sacred images of Christ, the Virgin, or Saints, and allowed for direct contact with the sacred figure.  This allowed a direct route for prayer from person, to saint, to God.  

If one made donations to the catacomb saints, they could 

acquire indulgences, or "passes" into heaven.

Death

Death is something that awaits us all, but for some, it comes too soon.  Why are we faced with natural disasters, deadly environments, and disease? Why do these things befall the innocent and good hearted?

Later in their careers, the catacomb saints were covered with veils in an attempt to make them more pleasing to the public, who had begun to withdraw with fear. 

In the victorian times, it was common to photograph the bodies of loved ones who had passed.  It was often the only photo a family would have of the deceased.  One of the most common ways to recognize one of these photos is the unnatural positioning and blackening of the hands.  Stands were often used to help support the arms and head of the deceased to acquire a lifelike photo.  

Soul

How does one determine the goodness of their soul?  One tries to be good at heart, but how do you know if your soul will go to heaven or hell?  How do we know these places exist?  Perhaps there is nothing after ones passing.  

To represent the soul, I went with the theme of baptism, as one is unable to ascend to heaven if they are not baptized.  

In my hands I hold holy water, and it over flows with the questions of it's importance.

Creation

                                      

 With the evidence of evolution, it is hard to accept that the earth was made in 7 days by an all powerful God.    

The first thing God created was light, which is symbolized by the light in my hands.  The helmet is meant to mimic a form of Frankentstein's monster: something brought to life without God. 

This image was done in a single, long exposure with two flashes.  First, the flash in my hands was fired, then the studio strobes were fired. In the above out take, one can see where my eyes shifted in between flashes.

War

War was one of the most obvious and most difficult to shoot.  There are so many casualties to war.  It destroys our families, our humanity, and our earth.  And yet war is all around us, in our past, in our future, and even fought in Gods name.  However, finding symbolism for war beyond the simple blood and weaponry was near impossible. 

 Soldiers who were thought to die for christianity in Rome were dressed in armor and given swords. 

I gave myself more skeletal makeup in this photo to strike fear in the viewers.  War is not something that can be glamorized, it is raw and harsh.  I avoided the gold and jewels that are seen in the others in favor of a more simple look.  

The Opening

Overall the experience was truly gratifying.  I had such lovely helpers, Marissa and Holly, as well as the ever supportive, James.  I would not have been able to complete such awesome work without your help!  And also a large thank you to everyone who came to my opening!  It was so wonderful to have you all there to support me.  I was beyond excited to see each and everyone of you.  

And to answer your question: So what have you decided in regards to religion?  I have come to a new understanding, but I am no closer in believing or not believing, I have only learned of new hurdles I must cross to find my way.  

Women of Folklore: This Could be You

The last installment of this series is meant to bean end point for the series, but also a step for continuation.  The idea that just because you're not fighting in battles, your actions could mark you as a women of legend and lead to change in culture in our future. 

Model: Sarah Butcher

 

By fighting for women's rights, you too can leave a mark on our history and our culture. Perhaps you will be the next woman of folklore.

Feminist Protestor

My model stands in a bra as a stand against the idea that women "ask" to be raped through their clothing.

 

Common quote in protest signage

 

I wrote the sign to be a protest against feminist issues in general (although it is a sign used in many protests). 

I want to give a big thank you to everyone who helped make this project possible.  Without my models, the costume shop, the people who lent me props, as well as the people who helped me make stuff, I would not have been able to do this without you.  You are all awesome people. 

Women of Folklore: Molly Pitcher

This was an interesting one to shoot.  Molly Pitcher was a woman who fought in the in the revolutionary war, taking her husbands place on the battle field after he is injured.  I knew I had to give her some sort of "action," something that would go beyond her just standing holding her cannon puncher.  What would her surroundings be on the battle field?

Model: Sarah

Costume: Costume shop

Canon Puncher: James Chavey

In the battle of Monmouth during the Revolutionary War, Molly Pitcher left her post as a water carrier and took her husband's place on the battlefield after he was wounded by cannon fire.

Molly Pitcher monument

The costume was acquired from the costume shop, and edited to fit the time period, as well as for the conditions (I added some stains and rips to it). The cannon puncher was made from a broom handle, a paper towel role, and a black t-shirt.

Molly Pitcher, Unknown artist

My favorite part about this shoot was the cannon smoke!  The smoke was made from throwing baby powder and the use of a remote trigger.

Thank you so much for your help Sarah.  You were quite the trooper!

Women of Folklore: Joan of Arc

This was one of the hardest shoots of the entire series.  The chain mail was done by hand, the armor is knee pads and ankle pads spray painted silver, and the cross was acquired last minute from the antique store next door.  I'm happy that the costume pulled together at the end.

Model: Sam

Costume: Lexie Bragg

With the guiding voices of Saints, Joan of Arc won many battles for France to drive out the English.  After being captured, she was convicted by the church for heresy and witchcraft, and burned at the stake. She was later found innocent and declared a saint.

Finding costuming for this was very difficult.  There were a lot of variations of her armor, and not very much standardization.  I decided to do what would be easiest, and luckily, the costume shop had chain mail!  The sword was stolen from a friend.  

I wanted to show the "holiness" associated with Joan of arc.  I added the back lighting to give her a halo, and a more modern play on the gold circle around the head.  She is holds a cross in one hand and her sword in the other to show the importance of religion and the sword in her fight.

I want to give a big thanks to the costume shop for letting me borrow the chain mail.  I would have been so lost without you!

Women of Folklore: Mulan

In my original plan for this series, every tale came from a different country.  In the revamp, my stories became less diverse.  This is why I sought out to do Mulan (which was not in my first revamp plan).  I wanted to show the growth of feminism around the world, and how other countries reacted towards the growth in power of women.

Model: Anna Nguyen

Costume: Rebecca Jones

Taking her father's place in the war against the Huns, Mulan returned

home to question her identity in her traditional Chinese culture.

Hua Mulan

I chose to mimic this traditional style image of Mulan for my own series.  In the poem, it discusses how she puts the powder on her face to return to her position as a woman.  She holds the sword in one hand and the powder in the other as sign of the pull she feels between the freedom of being a man and the tradition of being a woman.  Described as two hares, the steps of the male rabbit sharp and sure, and the steps of the female hare twisted and muddled. 

Modern Hanfu

I was lucky enough to have a friend lend me a Japanese Kimono and sword. Even though the dress was technically not from the right country, I knew I was super lucky to have such an amazing dress.  I attempted to style it in a way that mimicked a modern Hanfu by draping the gown straight down instead of crossing it at the middle as is done with Kimonos.  

I want thank Anna and Rebecca for helping me do this shoot.  I would not have been able to pull off such an amazing photo without your help!

Women of Folklore: Blenda

Blenda's story is one of my favorites.  It is said to be the first example of equality between men and women-the beginning of feminism.

Model: Lucy Hodkiewicz

MUA/Costume design: Lexie Bragg

Sword: Dillon Moran

 

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While the men were away at war, Blenda led the town women to victory against the invading Danish army through cunning and creative tactics.

Blenda and the towns women approached the Danish army on the field of battle and thanked them for being their saviors, and saving them from the men of their own village.  They invited the Danish  to a feast to celebrate their emancipation.   The women fed the army and got them drunk on wine. Once the entire army was in a drunken stupor-the women killed them all. 

The men of the village were so proud of the women, they granted them the honor of wearing belts: a symbol of protectors of the village, as well as equal inheritance.

Selfie by Lucy

 I bought the dress from St. Vinnies and sewed on the trim and added the lacing.  The fur is from the costume shop, and the pin is a traditional Norse "tree of life" symbol, stolen from James and creatively attached with thread.

 

Memorial statue, Sweden

I had a hard time finding what a noble women would have worn for this time period.  Most depictions of Blenda had her in armor or chain male, but if she was out to trick the Danish army, why would she give away their plan by dressing for battle?  

Beowulf, a Canadian production

Beowulf and Grendel,  2005

I took my costuming ideas from Beowulf, a fantastical Norse myth that took places in the same time period. I chose this as my inspiration as I thought the cut, detailing, and accessories would be more accurate for a women of noble birth versus the peasant dresses I had been finding.  Obviously Beowulf is a popular story!

I'm really proud of how this shoot turned out.  The costuming is accurate, and I love the sword (which some might say isn't accurate, but it is very similar to the sword seen in the memorial statue; and I'm assuming that they wouldn't "wing it" with a memorial)!

A big thank you to Lucy for helping me with this project, you were the one I really wanted!

Women of Folkore: Antigone

Although Antigone is second in the series, she was actually my first shoot.  I started with Antigone for one simple reason: her dress is a curtain and it was easiest to make.  

Model: Lavender Marie

HMUA: Alicia Marie

Costume: Lexie Bragg

Antigone chose to follow the laws of the Gods over that of men, and was condemned to death for her treason.  In one final act of defiance, she took her own life instead of the long painful death to which she was sentenced.

Antigone holds a shovel and a pitcher-the shovel to be used to dig a grave for her deceased brother, and the pitcher to be used in the sacred last rights as required by the gods.  Lastly she wears a belt-one she will use to help forge her own fate. 

 

Antigone Dancing Maenad, Callimachus

A lot of research was done to get Antigone's dress right.  Her dress is a doric chiton-a fashion statement that I actually really like!  Her hair was also styled in a tradition curled up do.

 

 Madonna de los Palafreneros, Caravaggio

For this series I decided to use chiaroscuro, or intense light and darks; as often used by Caravaggio.   I have long loved the lighting used in Caravaggio's work, but was also inspired by his use of biblical stories placed in contemporary settings.  His goal was to bring biblical stories back to life by making them more relatable with simple background, contemporary dress, and to remind those of their importance with dramatic lighting.


I want to thank my model and makeup artist.  You guys were totally awesome to work with.  Thank you so much for the opportunity!

Women of Folklore: Lilith

This past fall I took my Capstone: a class designed to help you develop a body of work meant to help propel you into the life of an artist once you graduate.  I wanted to create a series that examined the cultural expectations of women and how they changed over time.  The series goes in chronological order, starting before the recording of time and ending in the contemporary.  

I want to thank Katherine for being totally awesome and brave for modeling for me.  The series would not have been lost without you.   And thank you to James Chavey, for helping me steal dirt for this shoot.

My series began with Lilith:

Lilith, the first wife of Adam, was created from the same earth by God.  Refusing to be subservient, Lilith was exiled from the Garden of Eden and damned to hell, becoming the first Demon.

In my version of Lilith, Lilith holds a pomegranate- supposedly the original fruit of sin.  She stands atop a mound of a dirt, symbolizing the earth that she was made from.

Lilith, John Colier

I chose Lilith because of how strength I found in her story: She refused to be subservient, and was therefore damned to hell.  It shows the horror that women have faced, in some countries still face today.

When Katherine volunteered to model for me, I could not believe how lucky I was; look at her hair!!  Her hair is nearly to the floor, what more could I have asked for?  She was amazing to work with, and I could not have asked for a better shoot (or afternoon!)

Here are some outtakes from our shoot, because how could I pass up this opportunity!

Advertisement: Jewelry & Perfume

I recently started a project photographing what would be my own faux perfume and jewelry line.  I wanted to photograph perfume and jewelry that could be worn as either "dark," or "light."  I'm interested in this versatility because it is something that every woman has: that ability to switch from light to dark, even in the span of a day.  I wanted to create products (even fake ones) that could go with a woman through these changes.

I was inspired by a collection of jewelry and perfume advertisements.  I tried to mimic the simplicity and elegance of the advertisements; from the smokey eye makeup, the outfit changes, perfume and jewelry, to the lighting.  I set the mood with the great Gatsby sound track, and we had an awesome shoot. 

Light

Dark

A special thanks to my model, Emily Schmitt, and my makeup artist, Alicia Marie.

Along with model shots, I took some product shots of the perfume.  The goal was to help tell a story, and show the versatility from light to dark. 

Behind the scenes