Artist's Statement: Facial Deconstruction (After Michael Jackson)

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Single Channel Video, Sound, 29 min 44 sec, 2008

Michael Jackson is an emblematic and problematic figure in the debate about cosmetic surgery. The dramatic change in his appearance is a starting point for my own self-portrait, exploring the use of technology Ð virtual or actual Ð to attain a constructed ideal of physical perfection.

In the video I record a real-time "facelift" of my portrait, using Adobe Photoshop, a program widely used to enhance the faces and bodies of models and actors in publicity and magazine photography spreads. The process is shown both forward and in reverse in the left and right panels of the screen.

© Tim Roseborough 2017. All Rights Reserved.