Glitches in Normality

-

The term “uncanny” – or “unheimlich” (unhomely) – was first used by German psychiatrist Ernst Jentsch in the essay On the Psychology of the Uncanny, published in 1906. Today, it’s most often associated with Sigmund Freud, who, in 1919, defined it as a descriptor for something familiar, yet alien, at the same time. Doppelgängers, mirror images and inanimate figures coming to life are all examples of this phenomenon. For over 100 years, such images have sparked a sense of morbid fascination: appearing across surrealist art, experimental cinema and, today, in contemporary photography.


One such artist is Brooke DiDonato (b. 1990), whose outdoor exhibition in Luxembourg is titled As Usual. Yet all is not as it seems. The New York-based photographer is recognised for crafting everyday scenes distorted by “visual anomalies” – glitches in the norm. From vast deserts to suburbia, DiDonato creates a universe which is slightly off kilter. Bodies intertwine, trees bend backwards and iron fences become malleable. In every shot, the meanings of familiar objects are twisted; the laws of physics unhinged. Cosy homes and gardens are imbued with danger, humour and intrigue, encouraging us to look again.

Through pleasing colour palettes, enticing 1950s-style décor and calming landscapes, DiDonato lulls the viewer into a false sense of security. Yet, instead of a world of trust and safety, where everything is as it should be, we are brought into an unexpected realm. It’s a place where the American Dream is questioned and deconstructed: a distinctly unstable universe.

As Usual is at Clervaux – cité de l’image, Luxembourg, until 14 October. Find out more here.

Words: Eleanor Sutherland

Image Credits:
1. From the series As Usual, 2017, Point of Intersection. © Brooke DiDonato/Agence VU
2. From the series As Usual, 2018, Force of Habit. © Brooke DiDonato/Agence VU
3. Brooke DiDonato, Over and Out, from the As Usual series, 2017.

The post Glitches in Normality appeared first on Aesthetica Magazine.



from Art Life Culture https://ift.tt/UQA9Rx752
via IFTTT

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How a Fake Cartoon Band Made “Sugar Sugar” the Biggest Selling Hit Single of 1969

-
Image
Rock critic Lester Bangs described bubblegum pop as “the basic sound of rock ‘n’ roll – minus the rage, fear, violence and anomie.” The short-lived genre had its roots in the Please Please Me era of the Beatles’ minus the sex and the sarcasm. But from the Beatles we can trace a pretty solid path to the Archies. Not that we deserved this band as an inevitability, but the cartoon concoction is one of a thousand variants from that infectious strain of post-war pop. The Archie’s lasting legacy is one single: the bonafide earworm, “Sugar Sugar.” Written by Jeff Barry and Andy Kim, it was a real number one single (it knocked the Rolling Stones’ “Honky Tonk Woman” off the throne in 1969) sung by a completely fake band, namely the cast of Archie Comics, the five or six perpetual teenagers that have been around since 1941. How we got there, we must go back to the Beatles. Once the Fab Four had started to quickly outgrow their innocent image, King Features turned the four into a Saturday M
Read more

How to Charge What You Are Worth as a Creative Professional.

-
Image
If you are having difficulty knowing what to charge, then check out your competition and find out what theyíre doing. Find out if they post prices or fees on their website or if they have "packages"  deals.  Do they have payment options? While you are researching, keep in mind just because your competition is charging one way it is not necessarily how you should be charging. One of my clients is a business and life coach.  Most coaches charge for a set number of scheduled phone meetings, which seems to be a standard for "the coaching industry," but that doesnít mean itís the best way. I encourage my clients to charge fees that match who their clients are and what they are trying to accomplish. Itís very refreshing to do what works for you and not necessarily follow the "industry standard."  If you donít feel comfortable with the way your industry charges, by all means, change it.  Just because the industryís doing it doesnít mean that itís right.
Read more