Me Through You: A Mediated Self-Portrait (2007)
Photograph by VB Ayden
Me Through You is Brijetta’s thesis project, completed as the culmination of her graduate work at New York University.
Project Description:
We are surrounded by images that implicitly purport to offer us authentic or truthful representations of people, events, or cultural subjects. From journalistic depictions of war, to documentaries about celebrities or the common man, to photographic portraits hanging in art galleries or corporate halls, images surround us and deeply influence our perceptions of what is real.
Unfortunately, very few mainstream representations include significant information about the image-maker, the relationship of the image-maker to his or her subject, and/or the process behind the representation. Image-makers, whether individuals, interest groups, or corporate entities, keep these elements hidden in order to maintain the illusion of fact or truthfulness often assumed and ascribed by the viewer.
In Me Through You, I challenge the authenticity of these traditional forms as well as their uncritical reception by viewers, by offering an alternative form of representation. Along with the assistance of several image-makers, I have created an experimental documentary self-portrait using the mediums of photography, audio and video that incorporates, exposes, and explores the covert elements of the representational process.
This “self-portrait†offers a reflection of me as seen by others as well as myself. As it reveals me, it simultaneously reveals my photographers and our unique relationships. Through this complex portrayal of identity and the process of representation, I suggest that there is no single true or authentic way to represent others. I also posit that by looking at a subject through the eyes of many, we may actually discover a more satisfying or compelling view.