“Rest My Chemistry” experimental self-portrait
A conceptual self-portrait about our dependence on medicine to keep the body functioning. The image combines my own eye, with a dilated pupil, and my hand reaching towards a computer screen, the fingertip poked by a huge needle. An insulin molecule appears in the background.
The main photograph was shot digitally, while the final image combines digital compositing with a frame of analogue film. The result sits somewhere between photography and graphic design.
Influence
The idea came from thinking about how much effort we put into keeping ourselves alive and functioning, while knowing that the process can only be temporary. It reminded me of Can’t Help Myself (2016) by Sun Yuan and Peng Yu: a robotic arm endlessly sweeping an escaping, blood-like liquid back towards itself.
The title inspiration for this photo.
The title comes from Interpol’s “Rest My Chemistry”, with lyrics about exhaustion, self-destruction and giving the body some much-needed rest.
