As both an artist and consumer of the avant-garde - whether through drag, fashion, or makeup - I am struck by the nuances of archiving that the internet creates room for. Previously the beautiful and bizarre was only witnessed when permitted to be photographed, printed, drawn, or written about, and people would only be exposed should they be seeking unique forms of bodily creativity, or it thrusted upon the public eye via the rare prolific, successful artist. Social media now permits drag artists, MUAs, and fashion curators of all kinds to share their creativity with the rest of the world, bringing the iconic mugs of underground 90s clubkids or drag performers to the normalized view. With this project, I'm interested in furthering the accessibility of the avant-garde via projection mapping, such as reviving the documentation of looks on a nonhuman surface, carving a space for that which is only meant to be worn once. For example, many drag queens press their faces into makeup wipes and dry them out so that they can create a binder of makeup looks they've done in the past. This is something I do as well, but as they currently only exist for my personal viewing pleasure, I want to see how I can make my mugs come to life again by scanning the wipes or mirror photos and projecting them onto a new body.
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