SELFIE
The series “selfie” is composed of various self-portraits realized using ancient photographic techniques.
It contains three 'final' works (18x24 gelatine silver contact print, one Van Dyke's Brown print, a ferrotype) and other attempts, which are part of the collodion process (two ambrotypes and another ferrotype).
Most of the portraits are not well defined, they seem to be evanescent and experimental because the purpose of the series is also to represent the Artistic Process, that is usually hidden behind the final works. Every single element and error can be considered important parts of the 'official' work itself.
Using the word “selfie” as the title of the series, I wanted to create a connection between past and present period.
The self-portrait is a genre of particular relevance in Fine Arts, as much as in the Photographic field. It became a popular practice during the Renaissance, getting more and more represented with time.
Photography acquired it, becoming one of the most fascinating genres in this field. The first photographic self-portrait was a daguerreotype made in 1839 by Robert Cornelius, followed by the works of pioneers of photography (such us Bayard, Nadar, Muybridge...), modern artists and so on...
The increasing importance of the genre took us to the birth of a new era: the so-called “age of selfie”. In the Oxford Dictionary, the word 'selfie' is described as a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website.
In the series, I used the Globica camera (an old 8x10 inches sheet film camera, really similar to the ones used by pioneers) as ancestor/predecessor of the digital camera and, instead of sharing it through a social network, the work was exhibited in a real space.
In conclusion, the work 'selfie' presents a Process started a long time ago. It includes past and present, the final artwork and every attempt, all the history sealed behind it.