Heavenly Bodies- The Star as Image and Person

Heavenly Bodies outlines the multi-faceted nature of stardom. A star is not only a famous person, but an image that is fashioned by a studio, a symbol that is interpreted by the audience--be it in reverence, disdain, jealousy, or indifference--and of course, both a public figure and a private individual. The photographic portrait discussed at the beginning of the article illustrates this point very well--utilizing two reflections and the subject herself in the foreground to underline three different aspects of Crawford's life, and to comment on the very nature of not only Crawford's, but stardom in general.


A modern example that functions similarly to Eve Arnold's photograph is the Australian art collective Soda_Jerk's Dark Matter Trilogy, a series of three video-installations. Perhaps the article recalled for me certain elements of these videos due to the inclusion in either of both Judy Garland and Joan Crawford, but I feel that these videos effectively evoke the idea that a star is much more than what the public perceives, and more than what they themselves intend to project. In each part of the Dark Matter Trilogy, a star (or two) has an encounter with a different version of themselves--playing a different character, older or younger, at different stages in their career. The juxtaposition of these images, taken out of the context of the films from which they originate, seem to create meaning that cannot otherwise be seen, and to emit, perhaps, a portion of the star's true personality--existing as a bridge between two fictional characters, or two instances of performance.


Regrettably, the entire Dark Matter Trilogy does not exist online, but here are some clips.


River Phoenix, in The Explorers, encountering his older self in My Own Private Idaho: "The Phoenix Portal"
http://www.sodajerk.com.au/video_work.php?v=20120921063632


Joan Crawford and Bette Davis: "The Time That Remains"
http://www.sodajerk.com.au/video_work.php?v=20120921063658


Judy Garland: "After the Rainbow"
http://www.sodajerk.com.au/video_work.php?v=20120921063645