Vestigium: traces

 

Description: 5 large fingerprint panels: 2 graphite drawings and 3 small graphite drawings

 

Media: graphite, ash, animal blood, human hair

 

Artists statement: “Everyone must leave something behind when he dies. .. Something your hand touched some way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die. .. It doesn't matter what you do, so long as you change something from the way it was before you touched it into something that's like you after you take your hands away.” ― Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

You are on your deathbed. Regrets in your life? Surely not. Legacy left behind? Bradbury perfectly summarises my perspective of leaving your ‘mark’ on this planet, before one passes away. Vestigium, the latin word for ‘traces’ mirrors Bradbury’s idea on legacy. We all leave our traces everywhere we go and it is these traces that that makes our identity and legacy. Bloodstains in the shape of fingerprint, with a portrait of a women’s face photoshopped over the top is a resemblance of this idea. A barcode placed below the fingerprint is the final touch of one out of three of the large blood fingerprints. The symbolism of the blood represents the idea of internal ‘self’ emerging out onto the paper, where it leaves traces and a stain, which brings your focus to what one can leave on this Earth as part of your legacy. Four entwined pieces of hair on the small fingerprints with hidden QR codes are placed below the blood fingerprints. Each QR code leads the viewer to almost another ‘world’ where they can experience certain clips which are of importance to me and represent how I personally view death and the ideas that go with it such as: the idea of leaving behind memories and leaving your mark in your life. I tried to take portraiture to a new level, as it focuses on identity and how one’s ‘self’ influences their life. I am trying to position the viewer to think about what the moment on their deathbed would be like. Marc Quinn strongly influenced by work through his use of unconventional mediums, but that create a strong sense of meaning and understanding which brings the audience back to reality. His work also concentrates on the ‘self’ and ‘identity’, which is a major focus behind my body of work. Vestigium explores the relationship between the traces we leave behind and our legacy when we are positioned to be ultimately; on our deathbeds.