I recently won first prize for my Special Study creative project; I have pasted in the rationale and some photos for your viewing pleasures. It is a little over-indulgent but I think it is good to be egotistical from time to time... Especially, if you want to emulate the great authors of the New Journalism movement.
The project is entitled: 'Life and Soul' It is based on my excessive partying style through references to Capote's In Cold Blood, Thompson's Hell's Angels, Wolfe's Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test and a few others.
Life and Soul
Capote’s In Cold Blood was my main influence from the beginning. I found it interesting how he managed to deliver personality and voice to the deceased Clutter Family through documentation and interviewing people who knew them. Most poignantly, I felt Capote’s interpretation of Nancy Clutter was very cunning because he only had her diary and through that he encouraged his readers to see her as an accessible character. The interviewees portrayed her as someone always willing to help the community, and someone involved in local church groups but her diary cast some doubt on whether she was as sure of herself. From this I decided to use my diary to portray the ‘truth’ behind the life and soul.
Nancy Clutter’s diary prompted me to consider myself more; Capote describes her constant changing of handwriting and pen colour to signify that she was still growing into her own person. This is likened in my work to the constant change in hair colour and styles because throughout my teens I am still striving to find out who I am.
There is a recurring theme of narcissism throughout the New Journalism texts. The journalists tended to place themselves inside the narrative as a central protagonist. I felt that this was very commonplace amongst them because they had eccentric personalities. Although what they are reporting on are all events or people much more extraordinary the journalist still shines through as the main character of interest.
The journalists in this genre quickly judged their peers but seldom looked at themselves. I felt that it was important for me to lay this all bare on screen but have kept my personal criticisms inside the diary as a metaphor for hiding from my own thoughts.
The main collage itself depicts imagery of how I would start my evenings, even in groups of friends I am clearly the ‘central protagonist.’ I also wanted this to be the initial focal point for my project because this is the person I let others see and analyse. I am always the ‘life and soul’ and I am always or at least I always appear to be enjoying the experience. This is important because how I look is apparently brash and outgoing; you would immediately know that I like rock music and partying because of the way I dress and my numerous tattoos. This links in to status life, and how important it is to establish who we are dealing with, and a convention that is prevalent in the New Journalism texts, it helps us to visualise and associate a person with a stereotype we might already be familiar to.
Through, immersing me into the thought processes behind partying I felt it was necessary to include a diary. An evident reason for the New Journalists immersing themselves into certain sectors of society or topics was to find the unknown truth.
My project works well together because it incorporates the various elements behind a lifestyle. The board tackles my egotism, it is a wall of images of me having fun, and it is the exhibitionism. My guestbook signifies the journalist who will immerse themselves into a topic for a period of time, yet can leave at any point like an extended holiday. No matter how involved in the scenario, they will always be an outsider... It is covered in bubble wrap because these are the thoughts that cushion the impact; they are the positive aspects of being the ‘life and soul.’ The diary is made to look aged because it is seldom opened, I have used this to show that no matter how much you have interviewed or documented on a person, they can still hide from you and therefore, the crusade of the New Journalist can be considered almost as fictional as those who write without being involved.
