Self Portrait by Nicole Wilk

Practical Experimentation 

Self Portrait
by Nicole Wilk
audio by Valerie Ho


This self-portrait stretches 21 frames (3 shy of a second in film/animation) into a 20 second animation. The motion is repeated and manipulated using frame transitions to fade in and out of itself at set times. What could have been a fatal flaw with the shifting of the camera has been utilized to work with the beat, which utilizes a quickened tempo to offset the jerkiness of the animation itself which follows the intent of this project: to create myself as a manipulated doll.

The 21 frames in the Self Portrait

Prior to the animation techniques the images were loaded into Photoshop and framed to size, colour corrected, aligned, and manipulated with action sequences. The colour correction was necessary as the images themselves were shot in a room which had less than ideal lighting.

Unedited Photo From the Animated Self Portrait

As this is a self-portrait I wished the piece to be a reflection despite using it for experimentation purposes. As it should be properly assumed, everything that happens in the video was by design. The room is the MultiMedia Lab at my University and is therefore my second-home. Despite the poor lighting I am a graduate of the Graphic Arts and relied on my Photoshop abilities to not only adjust the lighting but to create a more fantastical and surreal environment which is a reflection of the general theme of my works. The audio was recorded by myself in a sound studio and reflects my love for the violin. I kept the faults of this piece in (the moving of the camera) as I believe that strength and weakness are the same, it's merely how one is viewed, in this thought process I made deliberate manipulation of the camera movement in the editing process.


I believe any self-portrait that you watch or consume that is immediately understandable is a failed portrait and cannot possibly be a reflection of their self, rather what they want you to see.