Thylacine...
...extinct.
The self portrait no longer bears weight in visuality alone due to the invention of the photograph. However, the photographer's honesty highlights its weakness, being unable to draw parallels between two things that no longer share space and time. The illustrator on the other hand, is far more disingenuous, and as such is capable of juxtaposing the long dead Thylacine with himself. The goal of this project is to recapture and contextualize what is likely lost forever in order to avoid such disingenuity in the future.
The Thylacine was chosen for this task due to three main descriptions:
Obvious loss (highlighted by the Thylacine’s unique appearance)
Helplessness (highlighted by the Thylacine’s comparative smallness)
Potential for Hope (highlighted by the Thylacine’s ‘freshness’ and conspiracy)
copy of the project proposal, 11/3/21: This piece will be a full body, life-size self portrait accompanied by a Thylacine. Its large scale will call attention to the work as something clear in its intent to be seen by an audience in order to illuminate its immediate, conservationary message. The lifelike scale will also force a more relatable understanding, as the viewer’s own anatomy can be clearly compared to the Thylacine’s smaller frame. Reclaimed polyester linen provides a cost effective large scale canvas with suitable, ‘vintage’ textures. Charcoal will be utilized to cover large areas with contrasting shades to quickly and effectively render the subjects. The drawing will be stretched and hung - just like the Thylacine were.
