Sketch 3 | Instant Wrinkles

Project for AMD 317

Sketch 3 Image “Instant Wrinkles” as a public mural with illustrations

Wrinkles of the City as an idea is an artistic form of body positivity that focuses on the physical changes that come with age, wrinkles and body marks, that are often framed as unappealing. I thought it was especially powerful for this project to be held in LA because of the youthful, appearance-based culture that exists there and in many other major cities. The very act of putting the elderly of LA up onto buildings creates a visual metaphor for the past generation being the structure and foundation for the current city. This project makes sure the elderly are not forgotten, but recognized, glorified, and appreciated for their contributions to history. The aspect of this project that I thought was the most successful was the context in which the images of the elderly are shown. These images are blown up onto the sides of buildings, dwarfing those passing by, and next to graffiti and other art that may be already on those walls. This context integrates the subjects into the city while also showing their power and value through size. I included all of these aspects in a slightly new way in my interpretation of Wrinkles.

For my sketch emulating the Wrinkles of the City project, I chose to photograph my twin sister. She isn’t nearly old enough to sport the wrinkles of age, but she does have scars or “instant wrinkles.” Scars are like wrinkles in that they mar the skin’s appearance and are often the source of self consciousness. However, they do not appear over time like age wrinkles, but are created as the result of one incident hence me calling them “instant wrinkles.” I wanted to capture my sister’s scars and display them as art so that she and other people with scars can see that they are not something to be ashamed of. Just like wrinkles, scars tell a story and many will be interested to hear the tale behind them.

My sister is a bright young girl who excels in both her studies and sports. She gained her scars while she was participating in her favorite sport: surfing. On two separate occasions in the past year, her board and then another surfer’s board struck her in the face leaving large gashes and barely missing her left eye. Despite all of this, she has stayed incredibly positive about her appearance and told me that she wouldn’t give her scars up if she had the chance. In her opinion, they show that she has a vibrant and fun personality, but is maybe a bit reckless.  

When asked how my twin feels about having facial scars, she says she is mostly proud, but doesn’t like how people judge her actions when they see her scars. They tell her that she needs to take less risks and better care of her skin. To her, this judgement is all wrapped up in societal norms that require women to have clear, perfect skin in order to be beautiful. In the same vein as the Wrinkles of the City project, I asked my sister if she would allow an artist to put her image up as a giant billboard for the whole city to see. Although she isn’t ashamed of her scars or appearance, she said she is too paranoid and doesn’t want that many people to see her image. So, I asked her if she thought having her picture on a wall is more public than posting a picture online. She believed it was and explained that with the mural, “people who are not even trying to look for me will stumble upon my personal image.” I personally believe that online images are just as public, but it was still an enlightening topic to discuss with her.

I really enjoyed creating this sketch, because I had to be more creative with the prompt as a result of my circumstances. There are no elderly people living in my house and, due to the coronavirus, I could not meet up with any other people to photograph them. So, I showcased my sister’s scars as a more inventive interpretation of the Wrinkles of a City photography. I also used Photoshop to place the image of my sister on the side of a building like it would be seen in the real project. Finally, I added a few stylistic drawings to the wall, perhaps a cleaner version of graffiti, showing surfboards in bright colors to nod to the story behind her scars.

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(above) Two original images of my sister and her scars. (below) Sample of illustrations on the wall.

Shelby