8/13/16

Final Project: Self Portrait

Final project for my Differentiation class assignment: "Where I am, Where I'm Going"


My thought process started with thinking about my identity, and the fact that as a white woman I have part of my identity that experiences reality through disadvantage as a woman but at the same time I experience a profound amount of societal privilege by being white. The image of two eyes came to mind, and I thought about taking a picture of my eyes to capture the idea of looking at the world from two different angles and the tension that comes with that. Then, I began thinking more about the medium of a self portrait, and how it seemed like a decent analogy of examining your identity and privilege, for both require you to look really closely at yourself, evaluating aspects of your identity piece my piece to see how things are constructed, and finding things about yourself along the way that you may or may not like (I have a lopsided chin). Both acts of examination are uncomfortable, and it is much easier to turn away and cling to the belief of what you think you look like. I made myself do this project because for me, looking at my face for any longer than a few minutes is a guaranteed way to open up anxiety, discomfort, self-doubt and disappointment – all feelings that come along with taking a long hard look at my identity and privilege. To sit in those emotions and continue to make myself look felt like a fitting exercise for “where I’m going” or hope to go – I hope to challenge myself to continue to examine the parts of my life and identity that are uncomfortable, for myself and for my students.  

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