cynthia greig
I’m fascinated by the fact that almost anything—whether sunglasses, a hypodermic needle or condom—can be found in miniature. I'm equally intrigued by the desire to collect such tiny replicas of normal-size objects. As a smaller scale surrogate of the original, the miniature implies the existence of some kind of alternative universe where we—as larger bodies—are like gods, omnipotent and in control.
For my series, Life-Size, I use a 35mm SLR camera with a macro lens to photograph my friends and family interacting with miniature dollhouse objects in their own homes and backyards. By exploiting extremely shallow depth of field I make the surrounding environment fall out of focus, drawing attention to the surface details of the tiny objects as well as the wrinkles, scars, and pores of my larger human subjects. In the darkroom I enlarge the negative so that the previously small appears to approximate the “life-size” in the final photograph.
This dramatic shift in scale and narrow range of focus emphasize the resemblance of the miniature to its larger-size referent, and at the same time upset our usual sense of order and proportion.
The resulting photographs show gigantic adult figures invading a claustrophobic world of Lilliputian proportions, awkwardly attempting to make these under-sized objects function as if they were actual working possessions or tools. This intersection of scales disturbs the imagined perfection of a mini-sized fantasy world, eliciting humorous and absurd narratives that explore our desire to control and contain the unpredictable and sometimes overwhelming circumstances of life.
By inviting the viewer to look beyond the surface and confront the betrayal of appearances, the photographs explore the relationship between how we see, interpret and experience the world we live in. By making images that challenge our expectations, I'm exploring how perceptual experience shapes our understanding of the world around us, and our concepts of what is real and/or an illusion.
