A striking physical resemblance is used to visually communicate the biological, psychological and spiritual connections that exist among family. As part of his exploration of identity through genealogy, the artist expresses a contradiction between the undeniable familial connections holding him to his roots and the feelings of isolation and alienation that weigh deeply in the gap between generations. This paradox invokes a temporal depiction of self, which is communicated visually through the passage of time in the piece.
Credits
Technical information
Documentation
"'I've always been fighting to separate myself in order to maintain my own identity, but at the same time I'm left feeling isolated from my family,' Wood says. 'This video piece reassures me of my roots; I am a part of my father, as he is a part of me.' [...] In a series of self portraits, the artist searches for solace in loneliness and isolation via a physical, emotional, spiritual and creative journey of the self. Duality is the dominant theme. Two disciplines merge - drawing with photography - to represent the coming together of different parts of the psyche. Though only one person seen [sic], the images create a sense that the artist is not alone, whether it be with duplicate representations of himself or by tricking the viewer into believing that someone else is present, just beyond the camera's field of view. And yet this illusion is constantly being broken, either by acknowledging the presence of the camera and the act of drawing, or by playing photo-realistic drawings off the realism of photography."
Concordia University, Media Relations, [http://mediarelations.concordia.ca/pressreleases/archives/2006/10/owen_eric_wood.php] (Consulted on May 6th 2011)
