"WHAT YOU'RE SEEING is not a mannequin that was left soaking too long. These images are not the sad remnants of a horror movie gone wrong. They're actually Form Follows Function, a project of Bastard.Turpin—a London-based duo comprised of photographer Kai Bastard and special effects makeup artist Bill Turpin—and they're as mesmerizing as they are unsettling.
"The idea, according to Bastard, is to deconstruct the ways people are conditioned to appreciate bodies, to "present the human form in a new and alien view." It also, the duo claims, represents a reinterpretation of identity and how it's shifting. "In the modern connected world, people are coming together from all walks of life to find unity in the way they feel emotionally and physically," Bastard says. "We are now in an age that is allowing individuals to express their true identity and beliefs."
"Turpin made the figure himself. It's a silicone mold pulled off a body-shaped cast. "The thickness of the sculpture had to be thin enough to be flexible, but at the same time strong," Bastard says. Once the mold was made, Turpin painted on its all-to-lifelike features by hand and added a wig made of real human hair to complete the look.
"The results are a fascinating study in how photography traditionally captures the human body. The lighting and composition is perfect, but the poses are very far from the norm. Viewers can't tell if the deflated "bodies" are supposed to be floating in air or discarded on the ground. That's what the duo wanted. "It deconstructs the standard perspective of the human form and reconstructs body shape/posture into an ambiguous, sculptural form," Bastard says.
"A few pieces from Form Follows Function will be on display in December at the Klompching Gallery in New York. But click through the photos above if you'd like to be unnerved right now."
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