What began as a personal project while I recuperated from a knee injury that had me housebound for months has turned into a true labor of love. Artifice: A Smartphone View is a collection of over 150 images that I began taking with my iPhone over two years ago. Setting up visual displays and making things look amazing is my day job. I love fashion, films and photography. I love that moment when you look at an image and are seduced into its reality. Unable to work or leave my apartment, I began to grow restless. Armed with several dolls, my imagination and my trusty iPhone, I was able to escape and create a whole other world inspired by my love of movies, magazine pictorials and classical artworks. Unconstrained by a budget, difficult talent or an entire production staff freed me up to play the way I once played when I was a child. I used handmade props, sets, and “couture” creations for my models. Bringing to life, if only for a second, a world of illusions.
I edited the images down from over 500 to the 172 featured in the book. I then wanted to give my dolls (models) personal histories and backstories. So, I created detailed bios for all of them, some based on the many people who have intrigued and inspired me.
After having a copy of the book made just for myself, as a kind of reminder of what I could do even under the worst of circumstances, I started getting a lot of feedback from friends telling me that I needed to make this project public and share it.
The book and other rewards are available now through November 16, 2014 for pre-order through my Kickstarter page. You can also follow us on Instagram @artificethebook and Facebook
