deconstructing santa
11/13/2022
Today John and I had a "dismantling Santa" photoshoot. My first idea was to photograph the Santa suit scattered on the basement floor like evidence of a crime scene: Santa breaking and entering, then evaporating. We took portraits of me "as Santa" but with some parts missing (less of him, more of me). John said: "evolution of my personal Santa-- that sounds like a memoir" and I wrote it down.
parts missing = room for parts revealed
The first photo was of me with just the beard. I looked transformed, like a mix of Father Time and Lynyrd Skynyrd. In the second one I look really transformed: a soft lady, tender but disguised, receding in daisies... not me but not entirely feminine.
They are two sides of Santa? To be perfectly honest, I don't know. I don't have any clue what they represent, which makes me think they're not representing anything at all, they are new (becoming, being)
they are the shedding and the merging of Self as present with Santa
Self with ego being
actively disassembled
(evidence)
Today John and I had a "dismantling Santa" photoshoot. My first idea was to photograph the Santa suit scattered on the basement floor like evidence of a crime scene: Santa breaking and entering, then evaporating. We took portraits of me "as Santa" but with some parts missing (less of him, more of me). John said: "evolution of my personal Santa-- that sounds like a memoir" and I wrote it down.
parts missing = room for parts revealed
The first photo was of me with just the beard. I looked transformed, like a mix of Father Time and Lynyrd Skynyrd. In the second one I look really transformed: a soft lady, tender but disguised, receding in daisies... not me but not entirely feminine.
They are two sides of Santa? To be perfectly honest, I don't know. I don't have any clue what they represent, which makes me think they're not representing anything at all, they are new (becoming, being)
they are the shedding and the merging of Self as present with Santa
Self with ego being
actively disassembled
(evidence)
After the wig photo it started to snow suddenly, in the middle of a blank November day. It snowed while the photo developed, before we could even see it. It snowed a little more then it turned to bright sun and back to a normal day as though we'd entered a snow globe during the birth of the controlled fragments. The world emptied itself of something then went back to light.
Lastly we did my original idea in the basement. I scattered Santa's suit on the floor. Then I stood (wearing the baggy red pants over my pants) and John photographed me standing in the middle of the Santa particles (stripped identity) wearing my New Balance sneakers. Then I laid on the floor with the Santa suit laid over me, in the "puddle" of Santa. Then finally John said:
"Can I get you in front of that window in those pants?" and we burst out laughing.
2nd to final photo: me in front of the window cracking up, looking out the window, holding my jean jacket open as if I'm flashing someone
Final photo: "Just Me" (in the pants) my leg bent with my foot up on the table, looking at the camera
