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Reflect: Study of a face perceiving itself

Artist: Bibby, Rachael · b. 1985

Reflect: Study of a face perceiving itself

The film was made in response to and included in, EGO, an exhibition of self portraits from the RSA collections, curated by Sandy Wood, RSA…

The film was made in response to and included in, EGO, an exhibition of self portraits from the RSA collections, curated by Sandy Wood, RSA Collections Curator, held in 2013. Rachael was invited to make a contemporary work in response to the exhibition and this film was the resulting work. On completion it was displayed in the exhibition and following the close of the exhibition it was gifted to the RSA. The self portrait it relates to (2014.660.2) was also gifted to the collections. RUNNING ORDER:

00.00-01.31.32 The camera focuses on the face, head and neck of the artist she looks in a mirror and paints a self portrait. There is a natural light source to the artist’s left, which occasionally changes the lighting and shadows in the film. The camera is static. She often looks to the side, down and shuts one or both her eyes and adjusts her hair. She occasionally takes a drink (water/wine) from glasses to her right. Occasionally the handle of the artist’s paint brush appears or waggles at the foot of the screen or in front of her face. She occasionally exercises her mouth, facial muscles and stretches her neck. Between 13.18 and 17.40 she makes, smokes, relights and smokes a rolled up cigarette before leaving it to extinguish out of shot. At 39.47 she relights the end of the cigarette and smokes it intermittently until 42.42. At 56.09 the artist gets up and leaves shot, returning at 57.40. From 1.09.50 to 1.12.10 she appears to sing/mouth along to the chorus of a song playing in the background.

© Royal Scottish Academy of Art and Architecture