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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Twenty Eight: Using symbols and metaphors to express meaning > Wig shop window, Portland, Oregon, 2006
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07-JUN-2006

Wig shop window, Portland, Oregon, 2006

This image blends the regimentation of corporate life with escapist fantasies displayed in a window of a Portland costume and wig shop. It draws on symbolism to express its point – even here in the very shadow of corporate America, whose rigid structures are reflected in the window, there is always the seductive promise of escape. The mannequin in the hat, mask, wig, placed within an arch of golden squares, symbolizes such an escape.

Leica D-Lux 2
1/13s f/2.8 at 6.3mm iso80 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time07-Jun-2006 21:20:10
MakeLeica
ModelD-LUX2
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length6.3 mm
Exposure Time1/13 sec
Aperturef/2.8
ISO Equivalent80
Exposure Bias0.67
White Balance (10)
Metering Modemulti spot (3)
JPEG Quality (6)
Exposure Programprogram (2)
Focus Distance

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Phil Douglis30-Jun-2006 00:45
I felt the hollow sadness you note in this image as well, Jenene. "Superficial nonconformity" is a perfect summation. The mask and wig cover a face without a soul or identity. Urban life is, by its very nature, highly structured, reflecting the expectations of a corporate oriented society, much of it a facade, such as this mask and wig represent.
JSWaters19-Jun-2006 17:39
This image provoked this thought for me - how sad that we often suppress our deepest desires and live under a cloak of anonymity to conform to what a structured society expects of us. Your featureless mannequin has no true identity, but tries gamely for superficial noncomformity by putting on the colorful mask, and platinum wig.
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