Weekly Photo Challenge: Purple

31/7/12 – Purple Mexican Skull

In response to the weekly challenge on WordPress, I decided to use the colour purple for the style of makeup. The challenge has inspired me to use the colour purple, which I properly wouldn’t have used before hand.

I am currently investigating the image of the skull in contemporary art and design with a close examination to the Mexican Day of the Dead. The entire blog documents visual research, which identifies the image of the skull in art, design, fashion, illustration, photography and sculpture.

Over the past couple of months, I have been examining other celebratory activities within the Day of the Dead Festival, such as face painting, which replicates a similar design to the Mexican sugar skulls. The visual research has identified that the face painting has inspired contemporary art and design, which has also appropriated the Mexican sugar skulls through makeup or body art.

The work in progress documents different styles and designs, which will become a part of an exhibition, which will explore the cultural depiction of the skull through photography or collage. The self portraits also invigorate personal interpretations of the skull and the blog is used for reflection in regards to the style of the makeup. The main purpose is to examine whether the visual elements impact one’s own interpretation of death and the skull.