Zero Degrees of Separation

 

The past is recorded in history books, paintings and sometimes captured in photographs as frozen moments in time. It is a footprint that is a reminder to some people or a few moments that seem to be irrelevant in our present lives. The human body can become a record for the past as wrinkles tell time. When a person is injured their body begins a process to heal itself. Scarring is the natural process of healing. Any injury does not become a scar until the wound has completely healed. As the body does its healing work, a scab forms over the wound.The scab's job is to protect the wound as the damaged skin heals underneath. Eventually, the scab dries up and falls off on its own, leaving behind the repaired skin and, often, a scar.
 
The new tissue that is generated will have a different texture and quality than the surrounding non-wounded tissue. The new skin is often discolored and deformed. Even the placement and size of a scar indicate details of a story. It’s like a fingerprint with unique impressions and surfaces. Every person views his or her scar differently with shame or pride. Every scar tells a story. There are emotional scars like rape that bare no physical scar to show. I want to fully envelop the viewer in a mark that is universal. To drastically change the way they see their body and scars. These 5 photographs show 5 different individuals sharing their story. Each session became a sort of therapy. Each individual went through the gradual stage of his or her scars story. They were filled with a variety of emotions such as joy, anger, indifference and embarrassment. My goal is to show the viewer how even though each person is separated from one another due to geography or attitude that we all share the same weakness. If we are cut, we bleed, if we are hit, we bruise. The degrees of separation are suddenly extracted and what is left is commonality. It is at this state that true emotion emerges and one truly understands the complexity of damaged skin.

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