#project06

"Toiletpaper is an artists’ magazine created and produced by Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari, born out of a passion or obsession they both cultivate: images. Number 18 is powered by TIM. The magazine contains no text; each picture springs from an idea, often simple, and through a complex orchestration of people it becomes the materialization of the artists’ mental outbursts. Since the first issue, in June 2010, ‘Toiletpaper’ has created a world that displays ambiguous narratives and a troubling imagination. It combines the vernacular of commercial photography with twisted narrative tableaux and surrealistic imagery. The result is a publication that is itself a work of art, which, through its accessible form as a magazine, and through its wide distribution, challenges the limits of the contemporary art economy."

When doing some research on this project, I came across a bunch of different photograph and editing styles, and when I gathered the references I liked most, there was an aesthetic very much predominant on the pictures. I noticed I like when people are portrayed, but they are usually odd looking, be their faces, the angle of the photograph, the choice of colors, the posing or the scenery. 

Bringing this idea of luxury to this project, we spent the day in the photo studio working in groups to produce a photoshoot, and later choose 4 pictures taken that day to express this luxurious approach. I worked with Ana again and she was my model! It was super fun and we worked really well together. I directed the photoshoot and she modeled brilliantly, being very expressive and giving her own insights as well. I was very pleased with the result, and decided to work by myself to edit the photographs.

Overall, I am really proud of the work that I did for the final project. I faced several challenges and there were times where I doubted my ability to get everything done. I started off with the idea of making doll clothes. With my change of focus to Western men's formal wear, I purchased a male doll. However, my experiences making dresses for my female dolls could not have even begin to prepare me for the horrors that I would experience. This really pushed me to get more familiar with photoshop. In the end, I think the heavily edited, collage quality of my images helped support my work. And I am really happy that I was able to communicate my idea through the piece.