The other day I was showing a friend my old sketchbook and I randomly came across this page I had collaged years ago and fell in love with it all over again. No one else seem's to really like this page but that's always the case when you just LOVE a photo and then no one reacts to it but the photo you dislike the most everyone obsesses over. Whatever. This layout really inspired me and got me thinking about skin and the body.
Within 24 hours of that I was extremely exhausted after photographing the previously mentioned friend but for no reason what so ever started taking some photos with my phone of my bones, shoulder blades, neck and skin in these twisted and contorted ways. I posted some of these photos on instagram and was really surprised to see the amount of positive feedback I got from them. This got me really obsessed with skin and the body and the same friend had left this beautiful nude leotard at my place so the next morning I decided to wear it for my outfit and snap some photos that were inspired by all of these experiences.
Coming from a dance background I have always been extremely interested in the body. The way it moves naturally and unnaturally as dance is certainly not all about natural movements despite it's goal to make it all look natural. The same goes for modeling and essentially the way that we behave as individuals. Our gestures, movements and interactions with people are all learned from our parents, peers, movies, images and so forth. Who we are is natural and unnatural; we are socially constructed creatures with innate instincts that lie beneath. There is something about the skin and bones though and the way they move with each other that is so enticing to me. It can be contorted, anxious, uncomfortable, grotesque and yet also beautiful, succulent, strong and empowering. The body and me are far from threw with each other, this is just the beginning of a very beautiful relationship.
