Born and raised in New York, Carrie Levy is an American photographer who is based now is San Fransisco. Levy attended the School of Visual Arts, New York in 2000 and then went on to study at the Royal College of Art, London in 2005.
I became interested in a series of work named ‘Domestic Stages’ because Levy had captured people who are in unusual, intertwining positions with their faces hidden from the camera. She has got her models to pose like this because it is a method of expressing who they are, their identities and their personalities in a new and abstract way. The models that she used for this series include members of Levy’s family and her friends in their own homes which adds to the identity element and allowed them to feel comfortable as they were in their own surroundings rather than a photographic studio.
This series of work focuses on representing people and the gaze of both the camera and the model. Levy has cleverly used the technique of using nude models in order to highlight the human form and again allow the people to express who they are in their own skin. The photographs involved are extremely intimate and very revealing, although the faces of the models are hidden making the people in them anonymous. Levy often makes these images as chromogenic, prints roughly about 82×62 inches to emphasise the intricate detail of the skin and body.
When looking at these three images it is clear that the first image and the last image are similar because they both present the use of props and more colour. In the first image the model is kneeling on a wooden floor up against an orange coloured wall with a white border. All of these colours are similar to the skin tone and hair colour of the model so perhaps Levy wants to express the idea of blending in. In the third picture although there are more colours it contrasts to the first and second picture because the colours are a lot more vibrant and obvious. The model’s skin tone and hair colour stand out and become highlighted by the bold blue and green shades of the background.
All of the pictures compliment each other and are similar because the model’s are all looking away from the camera and appear to have their attention solely on something other than the image. In addition to this, all the model’s are nude which is a way to identify them as individuals comfortable in their own bodies. All of the images have been taken from a straight on angle and present the models in the centre of the image making them the main focus.
When focusing only on the last image, I get the feeling that the model is bored or distressed by something as he has buried his head in to the sofa. This leads me to think that he has problems on his mind or perhaps he cannot sleep or has a similar issue which is frustrating and he does not know what to do with himself. As mentioned earlier, the colours of the background allow the model to stand out which could be a reference to certain issues standing out in his head. The use of the sofa as a prop suggests that the man is in a home, maybe his own home, but something about the large curtains with no sign of a window remind me of a theatre stage.
This image appeals to me because I can relate to the feeling of being frustrated by something and just sitting or standing in odd positions to take your mind off of things. I also like the way the model’s back has been photographed and it is upside-down which is an abstract way of presenting it. If I were to improve upon this image, I would make it more obvious where the model is located by using different props and showing more detail. However, Levy’s work is minimalistic and effective and maybe she wanted to provide an element of mystery to her work by not revealing the location of the model.
I find that this series of work relates to my project due to my intentions of presenting people’s identity and personality through features such as their clothes, body language and hair instead of their face which will be covered. My idea shows a person’s lifestyle and identity and ‘Domestic Stages’ is relevant because is portrays people through expressive shapes and body language and not facial features.
References:
Art, North. ‘NCMA’. Ncartmuseum.org. N.p., 2015. Web. 16 Feb. 2015.
Carrielevy.com,. ‘Carrie Levy’. N.p., 2015. Web. 16 Feb. 2015.
Ewing, William A, and Nathalie Herschdorfer. Face. London: Thames & Hudson, 2006. Print.
Levy, Carrie. 51 Months. London: Trolley Ltd., 2005. Print.
Representation 