Multiphrenia by Christina Rateau & Elsa Bouillot

Multiphrenia: “The splitting of the individual into a multiplicity of self-investments.”

With this photo series I wanted to portray the different sides of the ‘self’. Although I believe there are 3 ‘selves’, I chose to focus on 2 of them: the private self and the public self. The ‘private self” being the self that only surfaces in private and is only truly known by the individual. The public self being the self that surfaces in public settings. It is a mixture of ‘poker face’, societal standards (beauty, manners and other rules), the desired perception by others, among other factors.

To bring this concept to life, I chose to use sheets. The sheets portray the ‘private self’ which prefers to stay hidden. They portray the existence of something we rarely pay attention to: our versatility as social animals. I also used the sheets to portray the sometimes heavy contrast between our private and public selves. I chose 2 models to go one step further into my representation of duality. I have an obsession with the fact the there’s always more sides to things than the side exposed to the naked eye. In a sense, I wanted to uncover this hidden layer or at least acknowledge its existence and make it visible. So, not only are the 2 models very different from each other; they are yet one in the same.

This series contains 4 sets: “Gentle Daze”, “Darker Soul”, “Warrior Queens”, and “One in the Same”. We start with “Gentle Daze”, where we explore the potential softness and gentleness of the private self. We then move on to “Darker Soul” and “Warrior Queens”, where we explore the potential boldness/ darkness of the self. Both models are total opposites yet they complement each other… A sort of union held together by the bold private self which is the golden sheet. We then conclude with “One in the Same”, where the contrast is heavily reduced and the models become one in a sense. This set for me is hinting at what the ideal would be: a very thin line between the private and public self.

“Gentle Daze” 

“Darker Soul”