honorable mention
Vitor Schietti spain
title
Maya Rainbow
Any attempt to define what is the self identity will be incomplete. To delineate the limits of “I” is an illusory task. It can’t be framed as something solid, neither complete nor an entity. It approximates to a liquid, in constant mutation.
As the buddhists say, if I am capable of observing my body, I am not my body. I observe my emotions, thus I am not my emotions. I observe my thoughts, thus I am not my thoughts. What am I? I am vacuity, illusion, anything bathed in Maya, but nevertheless, I exist, I must be real! Reality is constructed by the eyes of the observer, and that’s my approach to the images of the present series.
In Maya Rainbow I use water as an element capable of pointing the shapes and colours of an illusion. The images are achieved by a combination of long exposure photography, colored light sources and water spills. Although it may look like it's achieved by complex photoshop manipulation, most of the images are presented as conceived straight from the camera, with little contrast and color adjustments. The water illuminated by colourful lights simulates a prism that refracts a beam of light in its several components. The naked bodies on the water’s way indicate the presence of an individuality. Altogether, the sum of such elements produce fantastic images, which are illusory, but also real.
Schietti has a Bachelor’s degree in Social Communication from the University of Brasilia. In 2011 he funded a photographic studio specialised in advertising photography in Brasilia, which continues to function through his fellow partners. Vitor studied cinema in Los Angeles and in São Paulo, and is often involved in video productions. He’s participated in several solo and collective exhibits in Brazil, Spain, Italy, USA, India, Japan and Russia. Schietti's series “Impermanent Sculptures” was awarded by the PDN 2016 Photo Annual in NYC and gained international recognition.
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entry description
How is identity built? What are the components of what we call “I”? Are they a bunch of collected memories? Are they the decisions we make or the ones circumstances make for us? Are they the emotions that flood the mind and the sensations these emotions produce? Or are they, at last, the sum of these and so many other elements, in a complex and dynamic kaleidoscope?Any attempt to define what is the self identity will be incomplete. To delineate the limits of “I” is an illusory task. It can’t be framed as something solid, neither complete nor an entity. It approximates to a liquid, in constant mutation.
As the buddhists say, if I am capable of observing my body, I am not my body. I observe my emotions, thus I am not my emotions. I observe my thoughts, thus I am not my thoughts. What am I? I am vacuity, illusion, anything bathed in Maya, but nevertheless, I exist, I must be real! Reality is constructed by the eyes of the observer, and that’s my approach to the images of the present series.
In Maya Rainbow I use water as an element capable of pointing the shapes and colours of an illusion. The images are achieved by a combination of long exposure photography, colored light sources and water spills. Although it may look like it's achieved by complex photoshop manipulation, most of the images are presented as conceived straight from the camera, with little contrast and color adjustments. The water illuminated by colourful lights simulates a prism that refracts a beam of light in its several components. The naked bodies on the water’s way indicate the presence of an individuality. Altogether, the sum of such elements produce fantastic images, which are illusory, but also real.
about the photographer
Vitor Schietti's work is dedicated to the visual representations of dreams and memories as building blocks of one’s identity. His motifs go from landscape to portraiture, applying long exposure, multiples exposures and light painting techniques to transform concepts and ideas into engaging images. Vitor was born in Brasilia (Brazil) in 1986, but feels like a citizen of the world having travelled across many countries and lived in New Zealand, United States, Canada and currently in Spain. He's passionate about rock climbing, human connections and the vegan cause.Schietti has a Bachelor’s degree in Social Communication from the University of Brasilia. In 2011 he funded a photographic studio specialised in advertising photography in Brasilia, which continues to function through his fellow partners. Vitor studied cinema in Los Angeles and in São Paulo, and is often involved in video productions. He’s participated in several solo and collective exhibits in Brazil, Spain, Italy, USA, India, Japan and Russia. Schietti's series “Impermanent Sculptures” was awarded by the PDN 2016 Photo Annual in NYC and gained international recognition.
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