He, She, They
The project ‘He, She, They’ aims to utilise lens based media to challenge and put into question conventional perceptions of Gender and in essence scoff at ideologies such as 'Anatomy-is-destiny' by Sigmund Freud. The series these portraits are a part of aim to investigate whether it is possible to tackle and alter the viewer’s thought process on gender through conscious constructing of the image. The work was produced to celebrate and bring awareness to alternative gender identities which are emerging more within society today. With the introduction of 70+ gender identities available on Facebook profiles and Tinder allowing identities other than the binary, there is becoming an increasing blur of gender roles and expectations within society, putting into question what it means to be a man or a woman. Utilising lens based media, the blurring of feminine and masculine is achieved through the stark contrast of the biologically male frame against gender labelled feminine objects. The work aims to argue and justify the revolt against the binary by communicating the views of theorists such as Judith Butler and Simone de Beauvoir, who reject gender as a fixed construct and rather believe that gender is a conscious doing and performance which we as individuals partake in and choose for ourselves. The individual within these portraits applies and performs his gender through the application of makeup and clothing. The essence of performance is also connoted through continuous lighting and colour coding within the frame.
