Lenscratch Interview - Second Skin Series
This is an older interview, but I never posted it on my website, so sharing it for anyone who would like to know more about my Second Skin series.
Thank you to Lenscratch & to Daniel George for featuring this work and taking the time to interview me!
“Projects featured this week were selected from our most recent call-for-submissions. I was able to interview each of these individuals to gain further insight into the bodies of work they shared. Today, we are looking at the series Second Skin by Ashley Moog Bowlsbey.”
Interview questions include:
1 Tell me about your interest in the “feminine beauty ideal,” and how it became the focus of your attention for this project.
2: The markings on these wipes are very gestural, and you write that they often feel violent. What prompted your use of these seemingly menial items as emblematic of the “repetitive beauty ritual?”
3. You mention the daily, ritualistic procedure of applying and removing makeup—and makeup remover wipes play an obvious role in this exercise. Since your models are wrapped in a distinct fashion, I cannot help but draw parallels to the rituals and treatments of the mummification process, which were performed to preserve the integrity of the physical body after death. I imagine this had crossed your mind as you painstakingly wrapped each of your models. Could you speak more on the topic of ritual and how it played a role in the construction of these images?
4.: Your work is emotionally driven and confronts, among other things, loss and personal struggle. Why do you feel the photographic medium is the most appropriate means of communicating your personal vision on these topics?
For the answers, check out the full interview at: https://lenscratch.com/2020/07/ashley-moog-bowlsbey-second-skin/