The brief was to choose a portrait and manipulate it using analog processes. The portrait I chose is of Helen Richey, a female pilot who lived during the 1930s but committed suicide when she could not find a job as a pilot. After much experimentation and research, I came across a quote by Oscar Wilde:
“She lives the poetry that she cannot write. The others write the poetry they dare not realise.”
This inspired me to work with old books. The final product is a mobile - something I personally wanted to make and perfectly fitting for Richey's career - made from old books. The free-moving nature of a mobile mirrors Richey’s life & personality, ever daring to realise the poetry that is life.
The mobile is made up of various layers that make up the portrait. The pieces, however, are free to move in the air and the portrait can only be glimpsed at certain angles when the pieces align.
Above: Detail.
Below: Other experiments.
