ᖴᗩᑕIᗩᒪᔕ I #16

To create a complete 360° representation of a real human figure, visual effects companies utilize 3D imaging technology. One can then unwrap the scanned texture into a 2D plane, much like a world map. In ᖴᗩᑕIᗩᒪᔕ I, Jon Rafman alters a selection of these unwrapped head textures and animates the transformation in the style of VFX breakdown reels, typically used to showcase the special effects in movies and games. The result is a jarring conglomeration of characters, a carnivalesque cast of commodities. Rafman's work is the reverse of anthropomorphism: ᖴᗩᑕIᗩᒪᔕ represent the reified experience of the self and others as mere objects and images. Rafman states that these custom textures will evolve into wearable skins designed for 3D avatars, which, in turn, may eventually be purchased and used to inhabit the various metaverses. In a world where most of one's time is spent in online worlds, avatars become increasingly crucial to constructing our identities. The dividing line between our real and virtual bodies has already blurred. As we spend more of our existence in front of a screen, our web personas become more significant to who we are than our physical bodies. When one wears a mask long enough, it is absorbed into one’s character.