'Tis a Possibility Methinks...

This semester I have been taking a course in theater makeup through the theater branch of Mason Gross. The course has blown me away and I have been thinking of ways to try and incorporate it in to my thesis since lately painting and drawing simply haven't held the same spark for me as they used to. I would like to use the skills and techniques I have learned and am still learning in theater makeup to create a series of photographs about abuse, disease, and hunger in the world. These issues are unfortunately large issues that tend to get overlooked in favor of the other more political issues at hand. To my way of thinking, the alteration of the face, body and the work done with the makeup is, in itself, a method of painting and drawing. The artist literally uses the human face as their canvas and the makeup, liquid latex, creme, eyeliner, brushes, etc. as their paint, pencils, and tools. I would create scenes and fit the character in to said scenes in ways that speak about the aforementioned issues. For example,I would like to create a character of an abused woman and take photographs of the way she goes about hiding the abuse etc. I would create an image of said woman in the bathroom using makeup to try and cover up the splits and bruises, a moment with the woman cowering bloody and beaten in the corner of a kitchen, and a scene with the abused woman removing a long-sleeved, high-necked shirt, revealing bruising across her ribs and abdomen.  I decided to do three subjects rather than one because I don't feel that I can get enough images/ photos out of only one subject.  I would need to research images that deal with these topics and create my own emulating the reality.

For the show itself I would frame the final images in simple black frames, anything more ornate would take away from the works themselves, and hang them on the wall where they are to be displayed. However I would like to try and have the images printed in a larger format so they have more of  a visual impact on the viewers. I want the photographs to truly confront the viewers with their message, leaving the viewers feeling unsettled and disturbed.