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These Zarathustra images are fantastic Steve. You must tell our readers how you make them. Do you individually create the figures and background or do they come from some preexisting stock?
ReplyDeleteI find the inclusion of a rat interesting. In the documentary film, "Hitler/A Profile/The Criminal" (1997), footage from a Nazi propaganda film "The Eternal Jew" (1940) shows hoards of rats running through the streets, scurrying from drains and running over food. The voice over declares that: ‘…they are deceitful, cowardly and cruel, and mostly go around in large groups. Amongst animals they represent insidious and subterranean destruction’. The images of rats preceding footage of Jewish people walking in the streets, creates a link between the Jewish race, disease and contagion. Later on in the documentary, the narrator reveals that in most of the propaganda Jews were referred to as the plague; thus justifying Hitler’s intent to exterminate the ‘vermin’.
Was this your intention? I wonder, because Nietzsche's "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" was given to German soldiers to inspire them towards the greatness of the Ubermensch espoused by Nietzsche. Adolf Hitler’s desire for a racially pure and supreme race — a ‘chosen people’ was in part promoted by a political use of Nietzsche’s ideas. And, of course, Nietzsche said: ‘Man is a rope, fastened between animal and Superman — a rope over an abyss (1969:43).
I'm working from Nietzche's text, rather than subsequent interpretations of it. As you will recall, the rope dancer fell to their death, upon which Zarathustra keeps a vigil beside the body. The rat here is a momento mori prefiguring subsequent events in Zarathustra's journey.
ReplyDeleteDon't know that anyone will be that interested in technique, which is always a secondary preoccupation for me. But will think about a description of methods for a later post.
Well a couple of my friends asked me how you make your images and I wasn't sure and that's why I asked.
ReplyDeleteIs the inclusion of 9 men significant? what of the man with rope who has African hair style? Please do make a later post that clarifies things a little :)
I can post something about technique if I can figure a way to explain in a few short sentences. As for the images themselves people are expected to form their own views; the images are exploratory, becoming.
ReplyDeleteDo you draw the figures and scenery or are they computer generated?
ReplyDeleteWell, both. Which is why it takes some explaining - there are photographics in the mix as well. For example some of the stonework in this image was made from photographs of the pavement outside my house, and the skin textures are made from photographs of real bodies in a process called cloning, after the software tool used. I feel any term I use like "cloning" is loaded, and needs some proper explanation. I'll give the subject some thought.
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