Smoking children is a controversial topic I would assume but photographer
Frieke Janssens wants you to see a different view. The series was inspired by the YouTube video of the
smoking Indonesian toddler.
By using kids as models, the artist wants viewers to focus on the act of smoking rather than making assumptions about the person. The feel of these images are almost retro with the time period of the
"Mad Men", when smoking on a plane or in a restaurant was not unusual. Frieke went on to make a good point and to clarify his props.
The aesthetics of smoke and the particular way smokers gesticulate with their hands and posture cannot be denied, but among the different tribes of "Smoking Kids," - Glamour, Jazz, and The Marginal - there is a nod to less attractive aspects, on the line between the beauty and ugliness of smoking.
To assure you of the safety of the children, there were no real cigarettes on set. Instead, chalk and sticks of cheese were the prop stand ins, while candles and incense provided the wisps of smoke.
Photographer
Todd Mclellan is the created of the
"disassembly" series, in which he captures old relics of the past and shows them in their dismantled form. Like the
Things Organized Neatly site, this series takes it one step further with the dismantled form and the almost obsessive-compulsive arrangement by its type, size and function that gives it a clear picture of the style and parts of the past.
Source: Designboom
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In the spirit of October and the ever approaching Halloween I wanted to share some of the works of
Clifton Harvey, an Ohio based illustrator and digital artist. His
Left Behind series is just mysterious and ominous and the details are just astonishing. Clifton takes normal photographs and then adds some anthropomorphic characters and effects and creates a whole new image to narrate a bit of abandoned history.
I’m fond of the delicate illustrations found in children’s picture books and the way artists visually describe narratives. I’m also drawn to the moralizing stories told in old fables and the harsh realities they depict. I used both of these deliberate narrative approaches as a foundation for my series Left Behind, in which drawn characters are integrated into photographic environments using the computer. The creatures depicted in this series exist as lingering manifestations of overindulgence and the festering shame of having one’s dignity stripped from them. Their temperaments range from passive and complacent to wretched and perverse. Once abandoned, they play out a narrative that echoes personal histories in skewed environments that mimic reality.
These digitally modified photographs are very detailed as you can see. They almost look like they have been hand drawn. What I like about these anthropomorphic characters is that it gives the images a more scary and empty feel to them that makes them dark and chilling. I would highly recommend checking out more of
Clifton's work. If you're interested in buying some of his work, his store will be opening soon.
