MIAD-FA382

Good Eye © Julie Xiong

I have a scar on my right eye (your left) that makes me very self-conscious. Growing up, I would hide behind my glasses hoping no one would notice the scar. Whenever I do self-portraits or get my photograph taken, the first thing I worry about is the symmetry of my eyes. There were times when I thought I would be better off with no eye than an ugly eye. No one barely ever notices the scar. Only me.

In mid-July, I came across a video for an experimental project where artist Tanya Marie Vlach asked donors and engineers to help her create a “bionic” eye with a camera inside (Jim). Vlach lost her left eye to a car accident during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 when she lost control of her car (Julius). After watching the video, I was inspired and immediately wondered how I would look like with only one eye. Thus, I created an eye patch out of liquid latex for a self-portrait.

To my surprise, it was really difficult to move and see from only my left eye. There were moments when I wanted to open my right eye so badly so I could see what I was doing. After this photo shoot, I was very thankful to have both my eyes despite how imperfect they are to me.

I have played with liquid latex in my photographs a few times in the past such as here. The possibilities with liquid latex are endless and I will create more photographs utilizing this amazing product to transform my models and myself. Last year, I did not have time to experiment with liquid latex all that much and am happy to say that this photograph will kickstart my photography experiment with special effects makeup for the school year.