ARTifice

I have been fascinated with artifice for years- artifice in its many manifestations. In art and in life. Various theorist s and philosphers have spoken about it- Baudrillard speaks about it from the viewpoint of madern mans engagement with "media". Today in Cybespace and pornospace as well as the mediated TV and cinamatic space artifice and reproduction remain the operative mode for cultural production and expression. The Body (as evidenced by this blogs recurrent themes) always is of great interest to me. The decorated body- culturally precise as in this sample from the annual costumed celebrations of the caribbean diaspora in New York, London and of course WestIndies. The fantasy is a process of addition, layered, colorful, textured and coded. Barthe might misread this with pleasure.



ARTIFICIAL
1.a. Made by humans; produced rather than natural.
1.b. Brought about or caused by sociopolitical or other human-generated forces or influences:
2. Made in imitation of something natural; simulated:
3. Not genuine or natural:



Another example of artifice is in the example of the SF European transplant "PeterBerlin"- an elusive exhibitionistic poser (I highly recomend his film "that boy") before the ubiquity of self generated porn. Mr.Berlin's image is carefully constructed using

Tom of Findland drawings as a Model ( perhaps the "model" has influenced the image maker as well-given the gay subculture of the late 60s and 70s in SF) Berlin is a perfect example of selfbranding before the term or technique was clarified and circulated within promotional/PR circles.



A recent self construction has been the french porn actor François Sagat (recently and fotunately departed from a large Westcoast American studio) here in an image that clearly references Mr.Berlin and his now iconic dutch "page-boy" hair-cut and Tom-of-Finland style posturing. Sagat though is part of a more complex evolution- in an age of drinkable hormones and larger than real bodies as evidenced by the several years of "AMerican Gladiator" from american television as well as popular comic books and Batman films. The larger than life the artifical has become the new benchmark the new "normal" and is attained by any means neccessary- be it through Creatine, hormonal Energy Weight gain drinks or photoshop or 3D avatar constructions with morphable sex genitalia (as seen below in the model figure named "ganymed" purchased as on might a face lift or breat implant or any other body constructive element)