Proposal for collaborative exhibition: Flippin' Dolls

Lenticulars

The “Flippin’ Dolls” project is a first collaboration between two established London artists, Matthew Andrews MA RCA and Caitlin Smail MA (Cantab).

Together they have produced a very personal and unique series of Lenticular images which turn the sugary, plastic playworld of teen and action dolls on its head.

After photographing the toys in different scenarios, the pair computer manipulated the photographs, finally interlacing them into lenticular or 'flip' images

The pictures are packed with different imagery which is at the same time subtle, funny, obvious, outrageous, beautiful, sexy and often controversial. At the same time these pictures reference the deeper concerns life today such as: politics; religion; sex; violence; lies; exploitation; truth and death.

The images would have been successful photographs in their own right, but by making them into lenticular images the artists have achieved a continuous original dialogue between the two juxtaposed pictures.

By randomly pairing the photographs into ‘flips’ – in other words placing two images in direct opposition with each other within one frame – the artists create a visual confrontation where the viewer is forced to consider the relationship between them. They then have to invent for themselves a plausible solution or narrative.

The narrative, of course, is going to come from and be directly related to the viewer’s own experiences, their imagination and the innate human need that is in all of us to create a link, even where one might not exist.

Humans pathologically need to tie up loose ends and these images provide a new and challenging way to indulge this need, with the viewer creating and exploring their own unique explanations and meanings for these pictures.

Matthew has been working with and exhibiting dimensional and animated imaging, including holographic, lenticular and stereo imaging techniques for over 25 years.

Caitlin graduated from Central St Martins in 2004 and is currently Art Director at Centaur Publishing. Her work centres largely on the themes of childhood and loss of innocence. She works in a variety of media from film and video, to photography and installation.

For the artists, this exhibition is mostly about the myriad of possibilities that the multiplicity of the narrative offers. But, within these images there are also a host of other really interesting debates on reality, fantasy, humanity, morality, scale, lighting and context.
For more information contact caitlin.smail@virgin.net