Death masks / Napoleon I's mask

Death masks are molded maks on recently dead people, which let the body intact while keeping a 3D portrait of the deceased person. It's the most "true" portrait ever : indeed, what's more alive than a death mask ? It's proportional representation which make the departing look real.

The Napoleon Bonaparte's death mask (or Antommarchi mask), has been the subject of a controversy as to its authenticity. Indeed, after the death of the french Emperor in 1821, the print of his face had been molding in plaster. But several masks had been presented as authentic, those taken by the doctors of the Saint Helene's Island (island where the Emperor died) : Archibald Arnott, Francis Burton et François Antommarchi.

It all begins after the death of Napoleon. The countess Bertrand had asked for a print of the Emperor's face but because of the state of decomposition of the body, the mold of Burton didn't really matched with Napoleon's face. Antommarchi, who had announced at the countess that the print couldn't be returned went jealous of his colleague's success, so, with the help of the countess, robbed the masterpiece. The "mask of Burton" became the "mask Antommarchi".

In 1833, the "mask Arnott" appeared for the first time in public. It brought surprise and jealousy. The brother of Napoleon, Jérôme, was the owner. But it had been stolen, and in 1850, Napoleon III, the Emperor's nephew, bought it and kept it in the Tuileries, contrarely of the Antommarchi mask.

In 1855, a Napoleon's statue had been built, but his face didn't matched at all with the official mask.

In 1869, the Antommarchi's progeny suggested an older copy of the mask at the french Emperor, but he refused.

Later, the prince Victor, adjusted his own copy of the mask, which gave an other face to Napoleon...

So, if you don't know what to think about the text you just read, that's normal. Just memorize that you'll never know what Napoleon looked like because even in death he'll never be himself because of the people that kept touched up his "face". He'll always be as people saw him and not as he was ! Por Napoleon...

Now you probably wonder why I'm talking about death masks. Well, simply because the one on the picture above is in our exhibition. Why ? Because there's no better way to represent ourselves than death masks ! It's the exact copy of our physical appearence, which transcribed all our feelings, our injuries, our life... So what's more alive than a death mask ?

Booklet (EN)

Watch My Mind!

First Name: Lisa
Family Name: Desjobert
Age: 16
Date of Birth: 28/03/1994
Home: Aurillac
School: Lycée Saint-Eugène
Likes:
Dislikes:
Photomontage, using a computer programme to rework a picture of my skull on which I "stuck" a picture of a Rubik's Cube.

The aim of my work is to make the public want to look into in my head, and to feel what I feel when I think too much! But it's also to make people think about what's happening in their own minds... Are you as complicated as I am?!

So, my work, which is supposed to be funny-bizarre, is about how we perceive our inner selves, and about the way we question how others see themselves.

The title of my work, "Watch My Mind!" is a pun on “watch” which means both “see, observe” and “watch out, be careful!” Look inside my head, but be careful what you might find...

The artist Invader inspired me, particularly his exhibitions “Low Fidelity” in London, “Rubicubism” in Los Angeles, and “Rubik Space” in Paris. In these exhibitions, the artist makes obsessive use of Rubik’s Cube patterns.

Invader says in an interview that his art gave sense to his life and I think that all these cubes represent a part of his personality, the things that he has done or could have done. All those little pixels in his art represent, in fact, his mind. So, in my work I decided to use a sponge-like Rubiks’ Cube to show you how I think my own mind works.

What is this mind I talk about? It’s not something you can see, and I do not think it actually is a multicoloured sponge. It is emotion, thought, reason, perception, memory, the “stream of consciousness”, etc. In fact, it is everything that makes up a person. Philosophers, scientists, writers, artists have all explored the mind. Talking about one’s mind is a way of talking about who one is, a self-portrait that goes beyond showing one’s physical appearance; surely one is more than one’s face or body?

Invader's video : http://friendswelove.com/video/off-the-wall-invader/
Exhibition at the Lazarides Gallery : http://www.space-invaders.com/lowfi0.html
Others exhibitions : http://www.space-invaders.com/exhibitions.html

Masque mortuaire / Masque de Napoléon I

Les masques mortuaires sont des masques moulés sur le visage d'une personne morte récemment, ce qui laisse le cadavre intact tout en concervant un portrait en 3D du défunt. C'est ce qu'on peut faire de plus véridique dans la réalisation d'un portrait : en effet, quoi de plus "vivant" que le masque d'un mort ? C'est une représentation proportionellement juste qui ne fait rendre que plus réel l'être disparu.

Le masque mortuaire de Napoléon Bonaparte (ou masque Antommarchi), a fait le sujet d'une controverse quant à son authenticité. En effet, après la mort de l'Empereur français en 1821, l'empreinte de son visage fut coulée dans le plâtre. Mais il existe plusieurs masques étant présentés comme authentiques, ceux pris par les médecins de l'île de Sainte Hélène (île où l'Empereur mourrut) : Archibald Arnott, Francis Burton et François Antommarchi.
Tout commence après la mort de Napoléon. La comtesse Bertrand avait demandé à ce qu'une empreinte du visage de l'Empereur lui soit remise mais du fait de l'état de décomposition du corps, le moule de Burton, ne correspondait pas vraiment au visage de Napoléon. Antommarchi, qui avait annoncé à la comtesse que l'empreinte ne pourrait être faite devint jaloux de la réussite de son confrère, et c'est donc avec l'aide de Mme Bertrand qu'il s'empara de l'oeuvre. Le "masque Burton" devint donc le "masque Antommarchi".
En 1833, le masque Arnott apparut pour la première fois en public. Il causa surprise et jalousie. C'etait le frère de Napoléon I, Jérôme, qui en était le propriétaire. Mais il se le fit voler et c'est en 1850 que Napoléon III, neveu de l'Empereur, le racheta et le conserva aux Tuileries, contrairement au masque Antommarchi.
En 1855, une statue de Napoléon fut érigé mais son visage ne ressemblait en aucun point avec le masque officiel.
En 1869, les descendants d'Antommarchi proposèrent à l'empereur de France un exemplaire du masque des plus anciens, mais il refusa.
Plus tard, le prince Victor, fit retoucher son exemplaire du masque, ce qui donna un autre visage à Napoléon I...
Bref, si vous ne savez pas que penser du texte que vous venez de lire, c'est normal. Retenez juste que vous ne saurez jamais à quoi ressemble Napoléon !

Vous devez maintenant vous demandez pourquoi est-ce que je parle de masques mortuaires ? Et bien tout simplement parce que celui qui est sur la photo au-dessus est présent dans notre exposition. Pourquoi ? Parce que il n'y a pas de meilleur moyen de se représenter qu'un masque, même mortuaire ! C'est la copie exact de notre apparence physique, laquelle transcrit toutes nos émotions, si nous lui permettons, toutes nos blessures, toute notre vie... Alors quoi de plus vivant qu'un masque mortuaire ?

Booklet (VF)

WATCH MY MIND !


Prénom : Lisa
Nom de Famille : Desjobert
Age : 16
Date de naissance : 28/03/1994
Vie à : Aurillac
Ecole : Lycée Saint-Eugène
Aime : le cinéma, la musique, l’anglais, voyager.
N’aime pas : les insectes, l’intolérance, les maths.

Photomontage, en utilisant un programme pour retravailler l’image de mon crâne sur laquelle j’ai « collé » l’image d‘un Rubik’s Cube.

Le but de mon travail est de faire en sorte que les gens aient envie de regarder dans ma tête, et de ressentir ce que je ressens quand je pense trop ! Mais c’est aussi pour faire réfléchir les gens sur ce qui se passe dans leurs propres têtes… Etes-vous aussi compliqués que moi ?!

Donc, mon travail, qui sensé être amusant-bizarre, est sur comment nous nous percevons, et sur la façon dont nous nous demandons comment les autres nous voient.

Le titre de mon travail, « Watch My Mind ! » est un jeu de mots avec le mot anglais « watch » qui veut dire à la fois « regarder, observer » et « fait attention ! ». Regarde dans ma tête mais fait attention à ce que tu pourrais y trouver…

L’artiste Invader m’a inspiré, en particulier ses expositions « Low Fidelity » à Londres, « Rubicubism » à Los Angeles, et « Rubik Space » à Paris. Dans ces expositions, l’artiste fait un usage obsessif du Rubik’s Cube.

Invader dit dans une interview que son art a donné un sens à sa vie et je pense que tous ces cubes représentent une partie de sa personnalité, des choses qu’il a pu, ou aurait pu, faire. Tout ces petits pixels dans son travail représentent, en fait, son esprit. Donc, dans mon travail j’ai décidé d’utiliser un Rubik’s cube « éponge » pour vous montrer comment mon esprit fonctionne.

Quel est cet esprit dont je vous parle ? Ce n’est pas quelque chose que l’on peut voir, et je ne crois pas que c’est juste une éponge multicolore. C’est des émotions, des pensées, de la raison, de la perception, de la mémoire, un « flot de conscience », etc. En fait, c’est tout ce qui fait une personne. Les philosophes, les scientifiques, les écrivains, les artistes ont tous exploré l’esprit. Parler de l’esprit de quelqu’un est une façon de parler de lui, un autoportrait qui va au-delà du physique de cet personne ; cette personne est sûrement plus qu’un visage ou qu’un corps.


Vidéo d'Invader : http://friendswelove.com/video/off-the-wall-invader/
Expo aux Lazarides Gallery : http://www.space-invaders.com/lowfi0.html (p.s. : cliquez sur l'image pour voir les autres..!)
Autres expos : http://www.space-invaders.com/exhibitions.html

Sandy Skoglund : Radioactive Cats

1- Words / ideas / feelings that come to mind...

Creepy, odd, depressing, awkward.

2- This photo is part of a series called "Family Portrait"... What kind of is it ?! (it's a photographic portrait, but it's also...)

...But it's also a metaphor of the family. All the photos are kind of creepy but they also show a familiar environnement with normal people or normal animals but with strange behaviors or in unclassical positions.

3- What does it show (describe the various elements, the situation, the atmosphere, etc...) ?

The photo shows bright green cats in what seems to be a kitchen. There are everywhere and there is also this old couple who doesn't look very disturbs by cats. But the environnement (walls, table, chairs...) is all grey. Only the cats make the contrast. That's depressing !

Moreover the animals seem to be very hungry ! I mean, they are sniffing everywhere like if they were searching for food, there is a slight touch blood on the chair (which is down and broken by the way) and it looks like they were waiting for this poor old couple to die to finally eat them !...

4- What are the themes ? (Ugliness...)

The themes could be : creepiness, awkwardness, deathness (Am I inventing a word ?)...

5- What is the "message" (if any) ?

I think the message is... don't paint your kitchen in grey and don't buy cats !

But seriously I think it give us an image of what could happen to us if we don't enjoy life.

6- What, based on this example, is the purpose of (this work of) art ?

My guess is that Art exists to make us reflect about our own life and eachother's. And what it's gonna be if we don't do anything.

A World Of Opposites...

How we see ourselves is conditioned by the images around us. This images reflect and reinforce in our minds societies values.
Game : take photos of the world around you (adverts, pictures, places, things, events... but not reel people please ! ) on the theme of contrasts.
- Ugly : Beautiful
- Weak : Strong
- Dumb : Smart
- Nasty : Nice
- Ill : Healthy
- Bad : Good
- Quiet : Loud
- Hot : Cold
- Etc...
Put your pictures on the blog with comments.
We often think in terms of opposites, like "ugly" vs "beautiful". Beauty is perhaps in the eye of beholder, but advertises reinforce our simplistic-binary-vision of the world, to condition our way of seeing things ; we end up thinking in stereotypes... Should we not nuance of vision of things ? Are people just "ugly" or "beautiful". Our way of seeing others can be destructive of others... When looking at a portrait or someone's self-portrait, go beyond juging a person by their appearence. Who they are is more important than what they look like. Ask yourselves : what can I learn from a person appearence ? How is his/her life, his/her feelings "written" on his/her face ?

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