SHANGRALA'S
UGLY
TRUTH
PHOTO
ART!
London-based Rut Mackel is
the talented woman behind The Ugly Truth photo series which intends to show how
perceptions change when looks change. She got her models to squish their faces
against a pane of glass and managed to capture bizarre and unflattering shots,
but insists it is not just to poke fun.
Rut says that her photo series 'explores the relation between attractiveness and identity. This project explored the ugliness and the beauty that exists within each of us. By drastically transforming faces from aesthetically attractive to unpleasant appearance, I wanted to challenge our perception of aesthetic appearance.' 'The face is a symbol of personal identity: it's the mirror or the mask of the self. The mirror reflects or distorts. Our faces are us. Thus, facial disfigurement can be particularly distressing,' she says. And Mackel wants us to question the emotional responses the distortions trigger, if we then perceive the person differently and if they actually perceive themselves in a different way, too. |