Feingold Gallery: Beauty Sleep
Feingold Gallery:
Beauty Sleep
The design of this gallery is aimed at encouraging conversation involving both immediate and reflective thought, individual and collective. Rather than starting by reading comments of others, please first put your own immediate thoughts in the on-line forum below. This way, we'll all be able to see how much similarity and difference there is in our initial reactions and interpretations of the images. Then go back to see what others have said about this image and add whatever new thoughts you have as a result of that. More general thoughts about the collection of images and/or this exhibit as a whole are welcome in the on-line forum on the exhibit home page.
Narrative is determined not by a desire to narrate but by a desire to exchange. (Roland Barthes, S/Z)
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Comments
.The mind is overwhelmed what
.The mind is overwhelmed what we can not make sense of on a daily basis. During sleep, we can finally be aided by our unconscious mind to be able to understand ourselves and others through our dreams.
pic
it is the way we are made to think of our disabilities or gifts as i see them. i want to find someone to help me use these gifts instead of seeing them as a disfigurement of my mental health. i know things. i see things. i feel things. i am not a monster. i am not a reject because of them. we need to get help the children understand these gifts and control them without medications and such. because in these thoughts and such are a gift waiting to be opened.
Feel free to get in touch
Feel free to get in touch with me if you'd like to discuss this further.
nourishyoursoul@sbcglobal.net
acceptance
acceptance
Hidden but real
Initially, I thought the sleeping figure represents all of humanity, not just one person. The images above are so varied and diverse - perhaps this is what led me to believe it could not just be one person. We all have a disability. There is no one perfectly "normal." While the images depicted above the sleeping figure are obvious examples of physical disabilities, the ones that are not so visible to the eye are sometimes even more debilitating: depression, irrational fears, anxiety, hatred, etc. These mental disabilities (as insinuated by showing just the head of our body) are often hidden and undiagnosed. We all go around pretending to be OK when everyone has something weak inside of them that hinders their day to day life. I feel grateful to have viewed this image.
Hidden but real
Kristina, I really like your assessment and interpretation of the picture. Shows a great deal of insight.
One thing that is interesting to consider, is that even though psychiatric disorders, such as depression
and anxiety are disabilities in and of themselves, they could co-exist with physical disabilities:
We are then talking about disabilities within disabilities. These are certainly very difficult circumstances.
DF
It would reflect..
This image make me to believe that a kid is sleeping and having dream of some thing where these images from its memory been recalled in the mind.
the mind probably comparing it self to others - what seen.
with basic emotions of sexuality. with basic emotions of fear. just to explore and survival
Sleep as escape/Dreams to reveal
I found myself searching this composition much like one puzzles a gestalt figure. Is the girl dreaming her "hidden" disabilities into our consciousness to illustrate that the impact of her hidden disability is as significant as those floating above? Or is the girl using sleep as a means to hide from a prominent disability, like those above, that she might have and we cannot see?
I also keep thinking about the term "beauty sleep" and the young figure of the girl. The photographs floating above her face are usually associate with carnies and traveling shows. Individuals with unique disabilities were used to shock and entertain the general public. The scattered images above the girl could be a reference to body dysmorphic syndrome which distorts a person's perception of their physical body.
Today society frowns on the use of "freak shows" as entertainment, but promotes the use of the female body in consumer culture.
great insight
Susan,
Great insight regarding the relationship between "freak shows" and the use of the female body in consumer culture. Also, think about how the media often portrays dads and men in general--sophomoric with childlike ineptitude.
DF
Initial Reaction
I was drawn to this picture because of the old photos -- the feeling evoked by the sepia coloring, the "good ol' days" evocation.
But wow. The first photo I saw was the man with huge legs and I was repulsed in fear and the sensation of pain I imagined he must have felt.
My reaction to the entire piece was dependent upon each picture, tho -- and the ones that made me fearful were the ones with the greatest impact. For some reason the woman without legs, the bearded lady, and the giant did not trouble me.
Makes me think of
Makes me think of dreams,confusion and a lot of uncertinies.
beauty is based on some
beauty is based on some ancient biological imparative of mating with those who are healthy and fertile ( Female ) and those who can provide resources ( males ) (food , protection of young, faithfullness) spreading of good genes. But since our modern society provides these things there is a need to up the annie sort of speak, to artificially create a need to feel beautiful through artificial means and create false or exaggerated images of beauty. This provides a market to produce income for those advertizers and marketers of products.Society has a collective image from TV movies magazines. albeit distorted image of what is considered beautiful. example: straight teeth is an example now everyone can afford to have them,so now they have to be perfectly white in order for marketeers to make money. It is the same with breast now everyone is having breast implants. so there is less focus afterall everyone can have them. So now it is weight . and they have added males and younger children to the mix ,when only women worried about their looks and appearance. Globalization has provided more opportunity to spread their propaganda far and wide,that's why Chineese women are having their eyes westernized to fit this ideal beauty. the list goes on and on..........
Who defines beauty?
What if the world consisted primarily of people who looked like the images hovering around the sleeping person?
What if in that world, the person asleep was the one who people looked upon with repulsion and the others as models and movie stars? We say someone is "ugly" or "homely" because we are comparing them to an image we have of beauty in our minds. Who taught us what is to be considered ugly or beautiful? Who perpetuates that bias? We, who look in the mirror and say, "crap, this is a bad hair day" or "why did I have to get a blazing red pimple on my nose?" Look around us and see how the concept of "beauty" is connected to the marketplace. Advertising points out how those unsightly age spots, embarrassing dandruff, puffy eyelids, small breasts, big nose, dull hair, bloodshot eyes, overgrown eyebrows, chipped fingernails, bad breath, crooked teeth, and countless other things that detract from our beauty can be remedied by spending a little money here and a lot of money there. My concept of beauty is that of a verb. I don't see beauty as a state of being, but rather actively being beautiful in our most humane moments, when we are there to listen to, support, encourage, and appreciate each other. Beauty isn't in the eye of the beholder, it's in the beholder's heart.
disability and the everyday
I had a similar thought, that perhaps models are the "freaks" as most people are "homely", asymetrical in some way, not model-beautiful or perfect.Most people in the world constitute the norm. However, models are used for the financial marketplace because of our biological drive for positive and "desirable" characteristics. We cannot escape our genetic preferences, and although I applaud your activation of the concept of beauty, I can't see general attitudes changing to be more inclusive. Sex with a genetically desirable other will always motivate us. And perhaps viewing ab"normal" bodies will always shock us to some extent , at least subconsciously, because of genetic wiring.
I am disabled, in some ways we become invisible - but I also think that females over the age of menopause become invisible in the same way - no longer ideal as a sexual object. A double hit. I also suffer from serious depression .
I find myself, unwillingly , getting impatient with people who say "oh, we all have problems". Yes, as humans we do, but that is just part of everyday life for us all,being disabled takes you to a different starting gate from which to add the "everyday" stuff.
Everyday stuff for us is also a lot more complicated than just getting up in the morning and taking it from there. Physical and mental disabiliies can mean a lot of problems before we are in a position to even consider "everyday" stuff. Before we have to deal with finances, with "are we beautiful enough", with a "bad hair day", with bosses and timekeeping, with computer breakdowns and the art not going well and personal relationships.
It makes me think about the
My gut reaction is pity for
reminds me of the anatomy
Nightmarish visions?
My first reaction to the
The nature of our
Fear and stigma
Reconciliation of multiple
Clear manifestation of our
The hidden selves of our
Finding comfort in your
dark
Conceptions of the self
Beauty sleep comment
Beauty sleep comment
(posted for a friend)
Peace, serenity, a sleeping boy at peace with his soul.
Initial Reaction
At first I was disturbed by the images, and confused with their arrangement. Is this supposed to cause fear or sympathy? Are we supposed to feel guilty for fearing such images? This seems to represent an extreme form of discomfort with difference.
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