I created my avatar in November of 2016. I was exploring in my own art practice a premise that Frankenstein and his Creature were metaphors for artist and creation. It is important to note that the Creature that appears in Mary Shelley’s book is not the Monster that was later re-mixed by popular culture. To acknowledge this, I chose a very campy 1960’s era children’s mask designed by Ben Cooper. The photo is a selfie taken with a vintage Polaroid 600 on Impossible Project color film. I regularly use Polaroid in my studio practice, not only as finished pieces but also as reference for paintings. All of these details play an important role in defining myself as artist and educator through this avatar.
There is no doubt that artists and possibly more so, art students, suffer from crises of confidence. It is inherent and I’d argue invaluable to the pursuit of creation. In Shelley’s book, Dr. Frankenstein turns in disgust from his creation:
“Did anyone indeed exist, except I, the creator, who would believe, unless his senses convinced him, in the existence of the living monument of presumption and rash ignorance which I had let loose upon the world.” 1
Though a bit dramatic, it certainly makes the point that we as creators and educators sometimes look on our creations as ugly and unsuccessful. In the context of artist, this is pretty straight forward, a painting, a drawing, a sculpture, etc. From the viewpoint of the art educator, I equate the students to a creation. Now, it is understood that teaching them art is only a fraction of what makes them who they are and will become. But, even a small fraction is integral to their development as human beings. It has been argued by many that what makes us human is our creativity. If that is true, then art is central to understanding our own humanity and how to progress in pursuit of it. So, that fraction just got bigger. As an aside, this philosophy was adopted by Black Mountain College in 1933, led by Josef Albers. These ideas are central to my identity as artist, educator, advocate and human. Understanding that not all creations will be successful is important. Equally and in concert, using those self-identified mistakes to become a better artist, student or teacher is vital.
Returning to the avatar, I want to address the physicality of the mask and choice of medium and it’s socio-political relevance. As I mentioned at the top, the mask is a vintage children’s mask, a plastic metaphor for the student. It covers the face of the creator but also represents the creation by using the visage of a pop culture re-mix of Shelley’s Creature. Here, the allegory represents the idea that the creator can’t be separated from the creation. And, the creation ultimately represents the creator. The brightly hued and cartoonish approach to the design echoes my own work. The use of Polaroid has a few implications. The avatar represents me in a digital realm as a scanned image. By retaining the borders of the film, the reality of its genesis remains intact and affirms my passion and continued use of the physical in art making. Also, although it is “instant” film, it still takes time to develop much like the practice of the artist/educator and mind of the student. From a socio-political standpoint, the mask, although it appears male, attempts to physically hide the gender of the wearer. Much like Liao’s dilemma in My metamorphic avatar journey 2 there are indicators that I am male, such as broad shoulders, that can’t be eliminated due to the restrictions of the medium. Recently, I have used this avatar on social media to represent political views. I am withholding that use from this particular discussion. But, I would be remiss not to mention it because I do believe art can be a strong tool for political activism.
I am only scratching the surface here. My avatar is a deep well and can be mined endlessly. I will continue to use this image as a reflective metaphor in my pursuits inside and outside of art, pedagogy, advocacy and activism. A quote here from Shelley sums this up for me…
“So much has been done, exclaimed the soul of Frankenstein – more, far more, will I achieve: treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation.” 3
References
- Shelley, M. & Karbiener, K. (2003). Frankenstein. New York: Barnes & Noble Classics, p.67
- Liao, C. (2008).My metamorphic avatar journey. Visual Culture & Gender, 3, p.38
- Shelley, M. & Karbiener, K. (2003). Frankenstein. New York: Barnes & Noble Classics, p.35.