Sunday 12 August 2012

The Shape of Things

Gluttony is one of the ancient Christian deadly sins explains Catherine Pepinster, Catholic editor of The Tablet, she goes onto discuss that 'allowing ourselves to become so satiated, shapes us both physically and morally'.

The obese have become a visual metaphor for our own decadence and personal failings and we seem to despise them for it but it is unfair to define a life so simplistically or in two dimensions. I am attempting to discuss this in The Big Society.

Moralising more than overlooks the complex human stories that have led to these visual manifestations. Bereavement, mental health and abuse are some of the stories behind the lives of those i met and many other factors contribute to a moment in the flux of a life. In this instance the camera and Pepinster's comments have a cold, uncaring, bluntness in common.

In the act of judgement, we are recognising something in ourselves and in that understanding must acknowledge a similar emotional possibility in our own future. We are defined as individuals by how we manage our emotional experiences and some of the consequences can be more visual than others.

See the juxtaposition below (not included in the original series) of Sacha in her backyard and an image of her as a young girl.


Sacha in Backyard with Rocking Horse & Sacha as a young Girl © Richard Ansett 2012

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