Appropriation

For my appropriation brief I decided that I would take images that would not normally be shown in the media.

After searching for a while I came a cross a hundred or so pictures taken by a man named Rodney Alcala, an American serial killer who is now serving a life sentence.

I like the idea of putting these images on social media and giving them an audience, most of which won’t realise the full context of the images and instead just appreciating a set of nice portraits, instead of being concerned with who took them.

The reason I chose this first image is I think that at first glance, it evokes a sense of innocence, a smiling chid, sticking out her tongue, but when juxtaposed with Alcala’s mugshot, creates a whole new interpretation of the image, one that is more sinister.

Once context is given, this second image almost looks like a candid photograph taken by Alcala, it leaves you wondering, what was his relationship with this woman, was she aware of the photograph being taken.

The final image is my favourite, as I feel that the emotions of the subject really come through in her facial expression, creating a sense of dread, leading the viewer wondering what happened to her.