CLAYTIME

CLAYTIME There seems to be a general agreement that eyes are a window on the soul, on the inner truth. But can eyes really tell that much ? This question is underlying my series of portraits, Claytime, which focuses on what’s behind the mask, by, ironically, creating a new one. I got inspired by a psychology exercice that asks the patient to model his own face out of a piece of clay, in order to reveal his own subconscious to the analyst. This playful exercise gave its name to the series, Claytime, presenting 15 different people who I’ve asked to model their own faces in clay. Despite different skills in modeling, the clay faces are always expressive and revealing. In a second step, I have shot these people, inside their homes, within a framework that defines them both personally and socially. I’ve asked them to take a very static pose, as if they were part of the environment around them. I’ve also intentionally sprinkled some personal objects here and there, as many clues about their personalities. Subsequently, a photomontage allowed me to replace their real faces by their mental projections in clay. Once placed over the shoulders, the new face either contrasts with the body or rather fits it as an almost-organic extension, mysteriously enlightening the person’s mind. This inner world translates visually into a dimly-lit atmosphere, where the sets are lighten up as old flemish paintings, showing all the shades of a muted color palette and making visible all the details hidden in the dark. David Bertram