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Comment by 冬菜一斤 1 hour ago

5 The Photography Situation

As a non-permanent art form bodypainting presents the team members with the problem that their works cannot be stored, traded, or presented over a longer period of time. Unlike paintings, onecannot sell or exhibit bodypaintings. They only exist in the context of the situation for which they were created. Yet, the fact that art cannot have its effect without a certain context is easy to overlook: "However it would be a great mistake to move from that position to one in which it is argued that the only way art can be appreciated is on the basis of form alone untrammeled by art history or free from the knowledge and expertise of the creator […] Except in certain experimental situations, curatorial experience about the works and their significance has always been vital "[47].

No matter for which purpose it is painted, taking pictures is almost always an integral part of the painting. At festivals, "once complete, the model poses for photos or, if he or she is acting in a film, will complete their scene "[48]. Commonly, extra sets and lamps are installed so that the paintings can be photographed in the best possible way. Photo tickets at the World Bodypainting Festival, therefore, cost extra. Photographing the works also plays a central role outside of festivals: painters who practice can record their progress and create a chronicle of their paintings. Often bodypaintings are explicitly done for the camera, as it offers exciting and diverse motifs to people who are into staged photography.

Comment by 冬菜一斤 1 hour ago

The intention to photograph or to have the painting photographed already influences its creation. If the photoshoot is the main reason for the painting, the paintings are often created differently than for competitions. It is less about showing mastery and thus optimally using flat surfaces such as the back, but rather about designing the body as good as possible for the camera. Posing options and light settings are also considered: if the model is to be photographed from the front, elaborate back paintings make no sense. If the light is to be set from high up or to the side, shadow casts must be considered. "Even as a painter, you have to learn to understand the possibilities of photography in order to create paintings that can be photographed well. "(Peter)

When bodypaintings are photographed, a staging takes place, just like in a normal fashion or portrait shoot. The photographic stage in the narrower sense sees the two-dimensional picture as the "defined objective "[49]. However, my experience and other studies [50] have shown that for many people, the image result is not the most or the only important goal of photography: Mindfulness plays a role when taking pictures [51], as does the joyful feeling of being active and being truly involved in something, which has been characterized as "flow" [52]. The opportunity to collect new experiences through photography also plays a role, as does the expression of creativity, which is associated with empowerment and personal development [53] and can lead to pride, self-esteem, and mental health [54].

Just as the painting situation, the photography situation is characterized by communication, the model and the painter must articulate their ideas. Personal information is often communicated here – not surprising, since portraiture is considered to be closely interwoven with the person portrayed [55]. As with bodypainting, there is also a close connection to identity. Through bodypainting, the person has become something else and poses as such in front of the camera. The posings and movements are adapted to this new being. "When I'm fully painted, I am different, I behave differently. Funnily enough, this seems natural to me." (Jenny) So bodypainting and photography enter into a symbiosis and resemble each other in some aspects with regard to the model. Consequently, the assumption is that the effects can be intensified.

[47] H. Morphy, “Moving the body painting into the art gallery – knowing about and appreciating works of Aboriginal art,” Journal of Art Historiography, vol. 4, pp. 1-20, 2011, 17.
[48] M. DeMello, Inked. Tattoos and Body Art around the World. Volume 1: A-L. Santa Barbara, Denver and Oxford: ABC-CLIO, 2014, 67.
[49] M. Weiss, “Was ist ‚inszenierte Fotografie‘? Eine Begriffsbestimmung.“ In: Lars Blunk: Die Fotografische Wirklichkeit. Inszenierung. Fiktion. Narration. Bielefeld: Transcript, pp. 37–52, 2010, 50.
[50] M.T. Jerrentrup, “Kein Fokus auf das Foto. Fotografieren als Aktivität“,kommunikation@ gesellschaft 21, 2020.
[51] Eberle, Thomas, Fotografie und Gesellschaft. Phänomenologische und
wissenssoziologische Perspektiven. Bielefeld: transcript, pp. 11-72, 2017.
[52] Fischer and Wiswede, Grundlagen der Sozialpsychologie. München: Oldenbourg, 2009, 100
[53] C. Mundt, “Neurobiologische Aspekte kreativer Therapie“, in: R. Hampe, P. Martius, D. Ritschl, F. von Spreti and P. B. Stadler: KunstReiz. Neurobiologische Aspekte künstlerischer
Therapien. Berlin: Frank & Timme, pp. 91–104, 2009, 97. 
[54] M. Schuster, Alltagskreativität. Wiesbaden. Springer, 2015, 50.
[55] R. Barthes, Die helle Kammer. Bemerkungen zur Photographie. Stuttgart: Suhrkamp. 1989, 89.

Comment by 冬菜一斤 13 hours ago

6.A Canvas in a Photograph

A two-dimensional image becomes something three-dimensional on the body and then, through photography, again, something two-dimensional. In the process, the living canvases "change the contextual interpretations of the original painted images in integral ways" [56] and so does the photograph. In addition to bodypainting, photography also offers a new experience of oneself, comparable to the mirror experience.

"It gives me the opportunity to see myself from an outside perspective without judgment, which often appears whilst looking into the mirror "(Lucy)

"I am in the photo, but somehow it's not myself. "(Alisa)

Due to the lack of similarity, it is easier to appreciate the pictures as works without immediately bringing one's person into play, to look at them detached from oneself. When looking at the process, there is an absolute dichotomy, as, on the one hand, the body is in focus, on the other hand, it is overcome in two ways: to become a "living canvas ", the model has to endure the process of getting painted – this can be emotionally and physically challenging. In addition, the model is transformed into something else. The painting "transforms the wearer into a (temporary) work of art "[57].

[56] E. K. Katic, “The Living Canvas: Bodies that Serve and Simulate art, “ The American Journal of Semiotics, vol. 25, no. 1/2, pp. 77-101,2009, 77.

Comment by 冬菜一斤 18 hours ago

Although this is sometimes the case with ordinary photoshoots as well, it is usually much more present in bodypainting due to the greater difference. This becomes particularly clear when the painted model represents something non-human or even abstract.

"It feels like I can be anything, literally anything. "(Leonie).

"When I look at the pictures, I can barely recognise my body, yet I feel a strong connection to the photograph, as important and vivid memories are linked to it. "(Laura) [57]

Bodypainting has become a second-level work of art through photography: the painting is an artwork already, and together with the photographic process, it becomes yet another kind of art also.

Almost all models confirm that they experience it as an uplifting feeling to perceive themselves as art. Photography manages to detach the painting from its context and make it durable.

Furthermore, the resulting picture hides a lot: photographs are taken in front of a background paper or in a set, maybe even lights are mounted - in most cases, however, the result shows something that does not fully correspond to the memory of the shoot. This is already the case because one cannot perceive oneself "in real life "from the outside, but it is reinforced by the fact that the photographic result is based on staging and is probably retouched.

This way, the model has the chance to merge into the painting and the resulting photograph and leave her body behind, to identify with something that at first glance has a lot to do with her body.

Still, at second glance, it makes the actual body secondary. She can enjoy the artwork without necessarily relating it to her body, but understanding it as teamwork between herself – her physical and psychological qualities – the painter, and the photograph: the body as canvas as picture as art.

The Body as Canvas as Picture: Body painting and Its Implications for The Model by Maja Tabea Jerrentrup, Ajeenkya DY Patil University of Pune, Pune, India & University of Trier, Trier, Germany. In: International Journal of Cultural and Art Studies (IJCAS) Vol. 04, No. 1, 2020 | 9 – 23

[57] M. DeMello, Inked. Tattoos and Body Art around the World. Volume 1: A-L. Santa Barbara, Denver and Oxford: ABC-CLIO, 2014, 63.

Comment by 冬菜一斤 on Sunday

時間守護的一棵樹，
靜謐而脈動無窮。

蔓藤沿著身驅緩緩纏繞，
綠意似記憶漸行漸遠。

光線輕輕試探，
盼春天甦醒回来。

瞳孔裡的胚芽，
只是過早透露的秘密。

延續閱讀～～
大開眼界
Bodypaint Illusion by Johannes

Comment by 冬菜一斤 on Saturday

在這幅畫面前，請暫且忘記你看見的是誰。因為這裡展示的不是人，而是「視覺本身」。色彩取代了身份，光影消解了個體。你所凝視的，是一場感官的風暴，一個超越名字與歷史的存在，短暫、炙熱，卻永恆地留在記憶裡。

Before this image, forget who you see. This is not a person but vision itself. Color replaces identity, and light erases the individual. What you face is a storm of sensation, a being beyond name or history—brief, intense, yet lasting forever in memory.