The Intentional Object

2013-15

The visual relationship to the figure highlights many interesting contradictions: the organic and the artificial, the grotesque and the delicate, the somatic and the psychological. Each layer builds upon a recognition of the familiar, yet all the while, being deeply unknown; disrupting the expectation of how the photograph behaves. Through the translation of the portrait you are left with something surprisingly even more human.

The Intentional Object is derived from Husserl’s theory of phenomenology which posits that evidence can, in some cases, only be experienced and not seen. In this way, Danielle reveals the gestures made in digital retouching as a way to both begin to unpack the nature of this methodology, but also sever it from its intended industry.

This project also speaks to the body and how we view ourselves through the lens of culture. Instead of removing physical attributes –– a bruise, tattoo, a beauty mark –– Danielle highlights only these features. Each portrait is a portrait of “imperfections”. By reversing commercial anesthetization, each image becomes a bold statement proudly finding beauty in what is unique about the individual.