Project 1: Net Cinema
This project is a study about women and their love/hate relationship with their bodies. What I want to create is a narrative that is the train of thought for the "everywoman". So, I have a web page with pop-ups that each discuss a body part, or the body as a whole.
I have it set up so that random text and a random image is generated in each of these windows, so it is possible that the text and image will contradict each other. This project uses images from stock photographers at DeviantArt.com, and I have obtained permission from each of them.
I hope to expand this project in the future to make it more representative of every woman.
A special thanks to these women at DeviantArt who gave me permission to use their photographs:
Project 2: E-Commerce
I got the idea for my second project after viewing other net.artist's sites and seeing just how far they were willing to go for their art. For example, Michael Mandinberg of Shop Mandinberg sold all of his possessions online, and even sold his time.
I realize that his project was to make people think, but what I started to think about is: 'How far could someone go? If I am going to sell my clothing, why should I charge the world less than what it is worth? I'm an artist! My ratty jeans are worth a fortune! And while I'm on the subject, why not sell other things that I don't really need - like 15 odd pounds?
Normally the idea of selling a pound of flesh would disgust me, and it did - until I thought about it for awhile and realized how ridiculously disgusting it was, and how interesting the results could be...
Thus, Dr. Shylock was born...
Project 3: Net Détournement
When choosing a site to détourne, I immediately thought of Abercrombie & Fitch. Clothing retailers in general make a huge profit by selling sexually provacative outfits to young men and women. Abercrombie & Fitch is one of the more overtly sexual clothing chains, and they also have practices that are disrespectful to other cultures, races, and often to anyone who looks or acts different than their ideal "All-American Collegiate."Project 4: Final
GoBarbie.com explores the idea of détournement as well as parody, and I created it because of the growing trend for the average woman to use make-up, hair dye, and - all too often - plastic surgery to change her looks because our media and society portray stick thin, tall, and bony as the new beautiful.
Although some in the media and fashion industry are trying to change that stereotype and standard, many women still feel the pressure to be "perfect" - to be Barbie. This is evidenced in female celebrity's quests to become more beautiful and therefore more popular - and therefore getting more roles in film and more endorsements.
And this is not only something that is a problem for celebrities. Women who are thin and who have bra cup size B are more likely to be thought of as intelligent, according to Allure magazine. Our society has so many different stereotypes and they need to change, because if everyone decides to change their body to fit in, there would be no individuality. And to me that is what true beauty is.
FAIR USE NOTICE. These projects contain copyrighted material not specifically authorized for use by copyright owners. Previously published content is used and constitutes 'fair use' as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law, as they are for nonprofit educational purposes.