unlikeness

Every project has its lull points, where for a while nothing much is happening. So I just tentitavely looked at my blog here and noticed in shock that the previous post was MORE THEN TWO MONTHS ago! That's what happens when Facebook makes social blogging so simple...

Anyway, something had to be done! So I swoooped on this image Thea took middle of September of our Unlikeness session in Columbia Road. I cut it into a square and in a strange way it tells the whole unlikeness story like an album cover:

Right in the centre is the half-hidden blackboard, with the participation forms people use to fill out. Then there's the queue of people building up in the background, often hanging out for half an hour waiting for their turn. In the foreground you see me chatting with Sean who'll be in front of the lens next and then to the right is my battery-powered bicycle trolley. On top are some of the unliked portraits on display and my hero printer half-way through breathing life into Thea's portrait we did a few minutes earlier.

So it's the whole story in one hit. Lovely, thanks Thea!

Today we celebrated our one year anniversary of the ULIKENESS project. It seemed so short yet long ago, since I first wheeled out my aluminium box onto the top edge of broadway market. I was nervous and clueless how people would react, what they'd think and if they'd like or unlike their shots.

Back then on that first day I took eight portraits with three liked and five unliked. Today I took only seven portraits of which four were liked and three unliked.

Over the last year I've spent 33 days shooting for UNLIKENESs and have taken 581 portraits. 447 (77%) portraits were 'liked' and 134 (23%) portraits were 'unliked'. The gender split is 60:40 in favour of female and women are still twice as likely not to like themselves in their printed portrait then men.

The project made it around London's East End street markets, to a Bedford street art festival and to some of Berlin's weekend hotspots.

I've met many lovely people with a large cross section of trades, jobs and skills. I'm grateful for so many friends and contacts over the year and look forward to the 1000's portrait sometime in Autumn 2011.

Thank you to everyone who took part and a BIG WELCOME to everyone joining us in the year to come.

Much Love,

Marcus

It's been a good few days since I blogged here. Unlikeness had a couple of nice shooting days in the meantime and everything is going swimmingly.

What took my breath away yesterday was the following note someone passed me in a rush while I was engaged in a nice unlikeness chat with Camilla.

The note is from someone I met on the last Saturday of July 2010 while I was out on Broadway market performing unlikeness. Back then Lucy appeared with her two friends and Jamie (who had his unlikeness portrait taken). At the end of Jamie's shoot Lucy told me about her cancer and her immanent move to Australia. This would be the last weekend they were all together. I took and printed a group shot. Lucy took it to Australia.

Getting the note made my heart leap. I hope to catch up with Lucy soon to hear the whole story and take another portrait...

As many of you know I email all participants after the shoot to thank you for taking part. Everybody who liked their portrait receives another email a few days later to ask for a snap of where the print is in this very moment. I call these 'Liked Homes' and they equally become part of the UNLIKENESS project.

I'm excited to announce that I have now received my 100th 'Liked Home' picture and to celebrate I've shared my favourite one so far.

If you have not sent me your 'Liked Home' picture yet, please do so as soon as you can. Just send it to me via email to marcus@unlikeness.org

Unlikeness returned to Horatio Street, Columbia Road Flower Market today. Thanks to an exhausting week I only hit the little alleyway for lunchtime. Mind you it didn't take long until Xavier showed up and started off a great afternoon of portrait taking (and giving).
Of the sixteen participants today five (!) were French and and two German. We talked about economies (true and false ones), Neighbourhood feuds, TV productions and about Photography projects in some depth.
For the first time the 'unlikeness rate' went up to 50% with only eight of the sixteen taking their portrait home to pastures new.
A grateful bow to today's participants: Xavier, Simi, Andy, Pia, Leticia, Mari Cruz, Amicie, Friedrich, Rachel, Pam, Malin, Caroline, Catherine, Clelia, Piani and Laura. The chats were awesome!