[Portraits] is a photographic study that explores the authority and inherent individuality associated with one’s signature and handwriting. Presence of a signature indicates not only proof of one’s identity yet signifies an act of agreeing to a set of terms, a binding promise.
As our signatures often represent our identity, they hereby replace our corporal selves; this project draws a parallel between visual representations of people and their personality, character and inner selves.
As our signatures often represent our identity, they hereby replace our corporal selves; this project draws a parallel between visual representations of people and their personality, character and inner selves.
This body of work consists of 16 digital photographic images, organized in a square formation (4 x 4). Each image exhibits a square piece of parchment paper with 16 different handwriting samples of the same phrase: "A quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." The latter is a common phrase in the English language that encompasses every letter of the alphabet. Below the text are the individuals’ signatures. Each individual also writes a sentence of their own choice, on a separate paper and mark it with their signature as well. These samples are arranged next to the photographs in the same formation.
During the late 19th Century, Alphonse Bertillon developed an anthropological identification system for criminals based on physical measurements and traits in addition to a pair of photographs, now commonly referred to as mug shots. These mug shots were thoroughly analyzed to support the theory of physiognomy: the study of determining character or personal characteristics from form and features of the body and face.
In parallel to Bertillon's theory, these 16 individuals were chosen based on their Myers-Briggs personality type: a Jungian psychology-based test and will be arranged according to the original Myers-Briggs chart.
This project combines my personal obsessions of typology (particularly the meanings and inferences that are created through the visual of text), MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) and the amalgamation of science and art, the objective and subjective.