http://www.vnsssaa.co.uk/camgirls
"CamGirls explores themes of identity and how the female image exists and is perceived. " - From the Camgirls Tumblr Page.
I stumbled upon this project while just browsing tumblr and I really love the concept and execution of these pieces. The artist says that the pieces are more about exploration than about making a statement but it brings to mind the quote “You painted a naked woman because you enjoyed looking at her, put a mirror in her hand and you called the painting “Vanity,” thus morally condemning the woman whose nakedness you had depicted for you own pleasure.” ― John Berger, Ways of Seeing. There is a concept that women who like how they look and are confident are wrong, and shouldn't feel this way even though men enjoy looking at women who look good. Maybe a sense that if women aren't looking good for a mans pleasure then it's wrong. There's a sense of agency in these images as the girls have willingly submitted photographs of themselves to be inserted into the paintings. There is consent of the subject to be put in the image, and as the photographs appear to be un-edited (in the sense of elongating limbs etc etc) there's more reality and naturalness to the images than the idealised representation of a woman created by a man. Omoregie says "I think the media control the female image and when we turn the camera on ourselves it’s seen as vain and you get labels like “camwhore”. I don’t think it’s the nudity that shocks people it’s the idea that women control how their image is portrayed!"
In a way selfie-taking could be a form of performative art? Much like burlesque, drag etc its a way which you decide what to do with your body / face / expression of self. People can interpret things differently, but you've put that agency forward.
"/camgirlsproject
#Camgirlsproject
An investigative project lasting roughly 2 years looking at the female image within the online space.
Starting with the instruction “copy this pose” the interactive piece allowed submissions of selfies that replicate women portrayed in famous works of art. Opening up discussions about the 'online girl' as a muse and subject and how the cyber lens shapes her image."
This would have been very appropriate for my last essay, but the concept of agency is a central theme I want to work around in my dissertation - thus this project is appropriate.
Quotes from Omoregie herself - (http://zodculture.com/vanessa-omoregies-camgirls-project/ - accessed 20/09/2016)
"At first it was just expressing a curiosity when thinking about the woman in the paintings and why they were painted that way. I even found some of them a little funny, wondering how someone would really look if they posed in those different stances; some of the paintings I came across had really difficult poses to replicate. This project isn’t so much about trying to deliver a message it’s more about exploration. It’s about trying to understand why these paintings of women do not get the same reaction, censorship, and labels of vanity and obsession that pictures of girls on the Internet do; especially pictures that girls have taken of themselves! So it’s been really interesting having women from around the Internet engage with this project and it’s been really insightful listening to different interpretations of it all."
"Q: The CamGirl Project also seems relative to the topic of the popularizing of ‘sexting’ and nude images of girls and women appearing on popular blog sites like Tumblr, why do you feel girls are finding it comfortable being nude on the internet?
A: Again I feel like the media come up with these stories revolving around technology and sexuality, mocking it or demonising it, I think it’s kind of funny. I can’t speak for all women but I know that if you’re comfortable with yourself and learn to shake off the negative stories about “slut shaming” and labeling people as “vain” then you start to feel like nudity isn’t that big of a deal. It’s not bad, it’s not good, it just is and I think more people should respect that."
