Source: Concordia University
http://mediarelations.concordia.ca/mediaroom/pressreleases/2006/10/007854.shtml Owen Eric WoodOctober 19, 2006 Multi-medium and multimedia artist http://www.secteur54.com/artistes_owen_en.html Presentation of the art video Self Portrait "Self Portrait" questions the North American ideology of individuality by
bringing attention to the reality of our biological, emotional and spiritual
influences of our families. The artist capitalizes on his physical
resemblance with his father to illustrate through a series of video fades
the undeniable connections the two share. "I’ve always been fighting to separate myself in order to maintain my own
identity, but at the same time I’m left feeling isolated from my family,"
Wood says. "This video piece reassures me of my roots; I am a part of my
father, as he is a part of me." The video consists of four segments. After building suspense with the first
30 seconds of the artist simply sitting, staring at the camera, his image
slowly fades, becoming his father. This is followed by a sequence of quick
fades between the two to reiterate their physical resemblance. In the third
segment, the artist’s shirt dissolves, showing his bare chest, which
introduces metaphysical notions of the inner self. Then, when the video
fades into his father, the aging body body introduces the theme of time —
showing both how the artist will look in 30 years and how his father looked
30 years ago. In the last segment, the artist’s father gets up from the
chair and walks out of the shot. As he does, his image fades, leaving behind
a transparent image of his son, who shortly gets up and follows in the same
direction. The empty chair reinforces the idea of time, change and leaving
something behind. Presentation of the series Two In a series of self portraits, the artist searches fo solace in loneliness
and isolation via a physical, emotional, spiritual and creative journey of
the self. Duality is the dominant theme. Two disciplines merge — drawing
with photography — to represent the coming together of different parts of
the psyche. Though only one person seen, the images create a sense that the
artist is not alone, whether it be with duplicate representations of himself
or by tricking the viewer into believing that someone else is present, just
beyond the camera’s field of view. And yet this illusion is constantly being
broken, either by acknowledging the presence of the camera and the act of
drawing, or by playing photo-realistic drawings off the realism of
photography.
Source: Tanya Churchmuch
Senior Media Relations Advisor
Concordia University
Phone: (514) 848-2424, ext. 2518
Cell: (514) 518-3336
Fax: (514) 848-3383
Email: Tanya.Churchmuch@concordia.ca
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