PLAYING DRESS UP

A Tribute to the Photography of Dare Wright

The first photographs in the series, in which Patti and her antique stuffed bear admiring themselves in the mirror, was inspired by photographs in Dare Wright's book, Edith the Lonely doll.  Here Patti Playpal is re-imagined as Edith, Dare Wright's childhood Lenci doll.  As we played with the setup, Madeline also played dress-up, inhabiting the role of a mother getting ready to go out while her daughter plays with her things.  Finally, while experimenting with angles and poses, the juxtaposition of the old with new technology, in the form of an iphone selfie, morphed into a study in "self absorption" a critique on the ease of which we are distracted from what is ultimately important.