Washing Up, 2021

Artist Statement:

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Washing Up is a video performance piece, in which charcoal is used as the only physical material in the work. In the piece, I sat bare in front of a neutral, white background with the camera only in view of my shoulders up. In front of my lap was a bowl of water, although this element is out of view for the audience. The video takes place for a total of two minutes and fifty-two seconds, which was filmed in a one-take setting, unrehearsed. The film includes raw audio from the original take. It has color editing to enhance neutral tones but does not otherwise include any alteration from frame to frame. Looking directly into the camera and with no way of seeing myself, I got unready for the day. I removed my jewelry, took down my hair and stripped everything back to the bare version of me. As I pressed my face into the camera, I began to examine my skin, pulling and picking at any blemish I could feel on the surface. As I did so, charcoal from my fingers rubbed off onto my face and began smearing everywhere. The more I tried to take it off, by rubbing, scrubbing and washing with water, the more it dispersed. This action holds power in regards to the feeling of overanalyzing one’s appearance. Ideas of perfection and beauty are brought into question, as the viewer watches me judge my own reflection. What would happen if the more I tried to get rid of my imperfections, the worse they got? What value does overanalyzing our appearance really hold? Is this fixation of beauty familiar to others? Finally, how does something as permeant as charcoal communicate a feeling of being dirty and marked? These were all questions that I wanted to explore through my piece. Ultimately, I wanted to create an experience that many of us have shared from looking in the mirror too long.

 

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