Self-Portrait explores the fluid nature of identity and the ways in which personal experiences continuously reshape one’s sense of self. Throughout my life, particularly through studying abroad in Germany and Texas, my worldview, values, and understanding of myself have undergone constant transformation. The people I have encountered and the environments I have inhabited have played a significant role in this ongoing process of change.
To express this evolving identity, I began by creating self-portraits using a film camera. After developing the negatives in a darkroom, I digitally scanned the photographs, isolated my figure in Photoshop, animated the imagery in Adobe Premiere Pro, and projected the resulting video through TouchDesigner’s particle system. Viewers can interact with the work by moving a mouse, causing both the image and sound to shift in real time.
By translating an analog photograph into a dynamic and participatory installation, the project challenges the conventional notion of photography as a fixed and permanent representation. Instead, the image remains in a constant state of transformation, mirroring the instability and evolution of personal identity.
The backgrounds consist of landscapes that I photographed throughout my daily life in Texas, while the soundscape is derived from recordings made outside my apartment during a rainstorm. By incorporating these ordinary yet meaningful elements from my surroundings, the work presents both a portrait of myself and a reflection of the environments that have shaped who I am.