Masking the Man in the Mirror - ONGOING
As someone who is diagnosed with autism, I seek ways to find connection in others. Finding someone like Michael Jackson with similar attributes, fixations, and stims connected me to want to know the man even more, hence becoming my biggest hyperfixation. The most famous person next to Jesus Christ, his identity is recognizable in an instance. But as a person who would mask his true identity to stay safe from the public eye, how can someone disguise him even in his most recognizable appearance? Using archival footage of Jackson during his live performances, I capture his nature of being his true self as a performer but masking his identity to make him human again. While using this archival footage, I step into the fascination of discovering someone like Jackson again, feeding into the wonders of how the autistic mind gravitates towards the movement and magic of someone like Michael Jackson.
“It’s different when I’m onstage, however. When I perform, I lose myself. I’m in total control of that stage. I don’t think about anything. I know what I want to do from the moment I step out there and I love every minute of it. I’m actually relaxed onstage. Totally relaxed. It’s nice.”
Michael Jackson - 1988 autobiography “Moonwalk”
