Languages of Light

For this assignment I decided to develop the work from Exercise 4.3 using inspiration gained from an image by Jean-Baptise Huynh called Crane en Cristal

Crystal skulls are made from clear or milky white quartz and are said to date back to the Aztec and Mayan civilisations. None, however, of those currently date back this far, and tests have found that all show signs of having been produced by relatively modern tools. As a result, they have been estimated to have been produced in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Crystal skulls hold a fascination for people because they suggest that our ancestors were capable of working materials in intricate ways. This fascination has led to Crystal skulls being featured in films and television programmes such as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Stargate SG-1.

Crystal skulls are seen by some people to be linked to the paranormal and to be imbued with mystical powers.

It is not impossible that there exist crystal skulls that were created during the times of the Aztec and Mayan civilisations. Both were capable of building structures like Egyptian pyramids, and in the case of the Aztec are known to have performed human sacrifices. It is therefore possible that one day a crystal skull may turn up that can be dated back to these times.

Technology today allows us to create our own versions of crystal skulls. Using 3D printing techniques and highly detailed scans of the human head, we can produce not skulls made from quartz, but versions made of acrylic. These models allow surgeons to see what they are dealing before having to perform surgery on a person.

Although not as stunning as skulls made from crystal these are still as incredible because they are the skulls of an actual living, breathing human being. The images above are of the model made of my son’s skull when he was being prepared for surgery for a brain tumour.

Hospitals tend to hold on to items like this, although I have enquired as to whether his still exists and if it does could we have it. Until such time as I get confirmation either way, I have another avenue to progress the idea for this assignment.

Since we found out that my son had developed yet another tumour but this time it was terminal, I have been developing an interest in how people deal with death. The references below include several memoirs by people like Sally Mann and Nan Goldin, books that examine how we have handled death, particularly with regards to photography.

During his life Rhys had to undergo radiotherapy on several occasions. Some of these involved the head. As part of the preparation from radiotherapy a mould is made that is used to ensure that the body remains in the same position during each treatment session. We were lucky enough that Rhys kept the mould of his head from one of these batches of treatment. It is plastic and is what I intend to use as the subject for this assignment.

References

1. Crane en Cristal by Jean-Baptiste Huynh on artnet (s.d.) At: http://www.artnet.com/artists/jean-baptiste-huynh/crane-en-cristal-a-08h08-9hyYEF-gvH4pxy0A2 (Accessed 11/10/2020).
2. Crystal skull (2020) In: Wikipedia. At: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Crystal_skull&oldid=982432455 (Accessed 11/10/2020).
3. EDITING 101 – A Quick Guide to Editing Your Photo Series using Stickies (2013) At: https://invisiblephotographer.asia/2013/11/18/editing101-quickguidestickies/ (Accessed 11/10/2020).
4. Goldin, N. (2012) The Ballad of Sexual Dependency. (9th ed.) New York: Aperture Foundation.
5. Goldin, N. (2019) The Other Side. (1st ed.) Gerhard, Germany: Steidl Druckerei und Verlag.
6. Harris, R. (2020) Photography and Death: Framing Death throughout History. Bingley, UK: Emerald Publishing Limited.
7. Powell, J. (2017a) Briony Campbell. At: https://miradglass.wordpress.com/2017/09/30/briony-campbell/ (Accessed 11/10/2020).
8. Powell, J. (2017b) In Sickness and in Health. At: https://miradglass.wordpress.com/2017/10/08/in-sickness-and-in-health/ (Accessed 11/10/2020).
9. Linkman, A. (2011) Photography and Death. London: Reaktion. At: www.reactionbooks.co.uk
10. Mann, S. (2016) Hold Still – A Memoir with Photographs. (5th ed.) New York: Hachette Book Group.