Portraits: 'Other each other'

After talking about 'Otherness' and 'the Gaze' we had to go out in pairs and take portraits of each other. The focus of this exercise was on the fact that we were supposed 'to other' each other in these portraits. So Connor and me thought about how we could 'other' each other in our pictures and as we were reflecting on the meaning of 'the other' we thought it might be useful to focus on talents, character traits or interests that we have and that makes us different from other people. 

As Connor is studying Music, he is talented in playing all kinds of different instruments, especially the piano, so I tried to capture his talent from different perspectives, either standing behind him or next to the piano so that one can actually see his face as well. 

I think that the second picture is particularly interesting, because his facial expression shows how passionate Connor is about his music and this again distinguishes him from other people. 

I really like this one, because one could maybe see it as kind of controversial. 

Connor is a christian and he takes his religion very serious. Which again makes him different from me for example, because I am not at all a religious person. 

When Connor tried 'to other' me, things began to get kind of tricky. The things that make me different, are things that you can not actually see in a portrait. I am half-deaf, I speak 5 languages and I love writing, but it is kind of difficult to visually show one of these things.

So Connor started to just randomly take pictures of me as we walked around campus and as we came back he realized that my outfit kind of ‘othered’ me.

I was wearing these black and white trousers with patterns on them and Connor was totally right when he said that they made me different and that my style was kind of exceptional. I’m sure people might gaze at me and think ‘Ew, what’s wrong with her trousers?’, ‘My parents wouldn’t let me go out like this’. But at the same time, I gaze at the camera and think ‘I don’t care what you think, this outfit is awesome!’

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