Abby Robinson   //   Body Imaging

These images are from my Body Imaging project. What triggered the work was the idea that only doctors and photographers are privileged to look at people from a distance usually allowed only for lovers. Since both doctors and photographers “examine” people and aren’t perceived as invasive or threatening, I morphed the two disciplines to structure an installation/performance/photo piece that allowed for exploring this medical/photographic merger and to use it as a way to make intimate pictures and hear stories—a combo of two of my all time favorite activities. I’ve done the piece in an abandoned health clinic in New York, a gallery in Shanghai, a storage container in Brooklyn and a hotel in Las Vegas. The medical angle provides a context for the examinations and for picture taking. What the set up most importantly allows is a place where participants deal with notions of identity, memory, and personal history in a non-judgmental, serious yet lighthearted way. Or they can just come in and get their photo taken for fun. PROCEDURE: First, they fill out a form with their medical/photo history. Next they come into my office for a consult, telling me what part(s) of their bodies they want photographed (here preexisting conditions are actually a plus). Then we go into the studio to make the picture. EXAMINATION: People enjoy the very personal attention and the collaborative process–the deciding on what they want shot and the selecting/editing of the final photo. If they, want to talk about what they want photographed and why, that’s great for them and a bonus for me. TREATMENT: One other plus, a kind of subtle one, is that people get to celebrate the features of real people because mostly all we get to see are photoshopped bodies that bear no resemblance to us (or anyone for that matter). Some, seeing their bodies in a new or unusual way, have told me that the session and the photos have helped them deal with body issues. And that’s extremely gratifying. For the installations I print the photos immediately so that photo donors can take their images home with them—in a VIP-like badge–as a memento so their participation is acknowledge and they’re thanked for helping me with the project. FOLLOW-UP: Later, I blow the images up bigger than life size to again be able to stare at close range and to spend more time appreciating—in great detail—each participant’s incredible uniqueness.