Appropriation

For my appropriation, I chose this image by Oleksandr Hnatenko because it seemed, to me, to already kind of fit my concept. I wanted to take the idea of hiding behind a mask and trying to make yourself seem happy to others, and apply it to my own concept. What I had written down when I found this photo was that I was pretty much going to replicate it exactly but have my model write something on the mask. Anything he thought of when he heard my idea (I knew it would point to some kind of deeper issue). That changed, though, when I found this notebook in his bag. What he had written on the front was fascinating to me, when combined with the fact that he constantly thinks he will never finish what he's writing. I gave him the notebook, gave him the mask, showed him the original photo, and told him to write what came to mind. I couldn't have anticipated for it to fit so perfectly, but it did. So, my appropriation is not direct, but changes had to be made so that it could actually fit my concept. I had to make this photo go to a deeper place than its original.

Just in case it can't be read at this size/resolution/whatever: The notebook says, "If this isn't finished, you have no reason to be bored or complain about your job, your income, or your LIFE." The mask says, "It will never be done."