At the beginning of October I posted on here to say I was going to have a go at a photographic project, taking selfies over a period of several weeks and seeing what resulted. The inspiration for the project was explained in the post and you can read about it here.
Now's the time to reveal the results. Even if I'm as unimpressed with the outcome as I expected to be. I wondered if there might be any way to claim my pictures, collectively, as an art form, as was the case for Ai Weiwei's exhibit of looping selfies at the exhibition that prompted my experiment.
It's really for others to give judgement on whether my own collection constitutes art in any way. My own reaction is No. Because, unlike the Chinese, I don't have much in the way of visual imagination or creativity. In consequence there are many shots that are dull and repetitive.
But I'm leaving them in there. If nothing else this is a warts and all form of portraiture, with only a few of the photos I took being left out because they were contributing nothing. Over the period I was taking them I banged my forehead on a shelf; then had a haircut which involved a bit of a styling change (I thought it successful, but the photos show little real difference!); and for the past few weeks I've had a virus so there have been times when I've looked pale, tired, far from a depiction of good health. There are shots taken in early morning, shots taken late at night. Indoor light, outdoor light, and the wrinkle-highlighting brutality of flash.
One of the most notable (and to my eyes bizarre) selfie trends, and a great favourite with Japanese tourists in particular, is to take ones photo in front of a well know landmark. Proof that they were really there? A trend I've resisted, other than one featuring an Edinburgh standard (and cliche), the view down The Vennel with the castle in the background. And Newhaven Harbour features now and then. A cemetery features, as do bus interiors, but most were taken at home. More time to experiment in the warmth!
You can find the photos on this Tumblr blog.
A final word. There are almost three hundred photos on that Tumblr. If you manage to look at them all you either have a very low boredom threshold, or way too much time on your hands. Probably both. There are much better ways to pass the time you know....
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