A Spectrum Of Autonomy
Featuring Carolyne Loreé Teston Words by Nastasia Khmelnitski
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In her work, Carolyne Loreé Teston researches in-depth layers of the femme gaze and the power dynamics between the photographer, the subject, and the viewer. She brings to our attention the concept of autonomy of the self as it emerges in her projects. Through self-portraiture and double exposure, Carolyne researches the body, the feminine, and the perception. Working with models allows exploring the definition of beauty, the perception of the self in the eyes of the other, or as recognized by the self.
Through complex constructs, we learn how building trust with the subject affects the power dynamics inside and outside the frame leading to various interpretations of the narrative. Carolyne speaks about her work and explains, “Influences that affect my work often include conflicting feelings, ideas surrounding control, memories from childhood or adolescence, and treatment of femininity in media and art.”
Carolyne Loreé Teston is a photographer and performance artist raised in Dahlonega, Georgia, and currently based in New York. She is working towards gaining her MFA in Photography from Bard College. This is our second interview with Carolyne, in which we decided to dive deep into the development of her practice and concepts. In the first interview, we spoke about her work Self, a two-part black and white short film shot during the pandemic and filmed on Super 8. In this discussion, we focus on Carolyne’s performance work, its manifestation in photography, and the way it's changing as a result of the shift in perspective. We speak about how being enrolled in a Master's degree affects conceptualization and approach and how commercial projects are different from personal work. We close our conversation with a sneak peek at some future projects.
‘I’ve been thinking about how to contextualize ideas that seem to be at odds with one another, often surrounding my own reflections and contradictions of self-concept, memory, and what’s considered acceptable within different evolutions of feminism…’
From ‘Self’ Onwards
Hi Carolyne, so happy to have you again in WÜL with the interview! Last time we spoke about your short film Self in two parts, shot on Super 8. Since then, you’ve been working on different projects as an artist and a model, inspiring others with your work. What, do you think, are the main changes that occurred in your focus or vision during this time period?
Hi WÜL, thanks so much for having me. It’s lovely to talk again.
Over the last year, I’ve been inspired to explore performance in more depth — in my photography and live events. I’ve been searching for visual opportunities in the paradox of my own conflicting feelings or unfinished thoughts. Recently, I’ve been thinking about how to contextualize ideas that seem to be at odds with one another, often surrounding my own reflections and contradictions of self-concept, memory, and what’s considered acceptable within different evolutions of feminism... I’ve also been focusing on finding visual tools to thread image-making into live performances.
Something else that’s changed over the last year is that I’ve felt much more in my head than I used to be. Usually, I approach my work with a lot of intuition and instinct, but this year I’ve been overthinking more often rather than just doing. This can make me feel sort of stuck sometimes. I’m in my first year of an MFA program, so I tell myself this is normal...!
Thankfully within the last couple of weeks, I’ve been feeling more myself creatively, so I know a new season is coming. This interview is actually helping me sort through my thoughts, so thanks again.
‘I see beauty as a kind of spectrum where one end is exploitation and the other is empowerment. What does it look like when both sides are being tapped at once?’
My Story
You were raised in Dahlonega, Georgia, and later on, after graduating, moved to New York to develop your career as an artist. In what way do you think your experience growing up in a Southern state and currently creating in New York affected your work?
This is currently something I’m exploring personally and in my work. I feel like I used to think that these places were more different than I see them to be at this exact moment. Attempting to address thoughts surrounding this has been coming up in my work more often. Having said that, there’s certainly a rich amount of diversity in NYC, which allows me the opportunity to learn and create alongside people who have varying perspectives and lived experiences than my own. This opens up worlds in my mind and my work.
‘I’ve been wondering how I can express the effects of consumption, reflection, or regurgitation of identity-shaping influences while also leaving space around them.’
The Femme
In our previous conversation, you spoke about the concept of beauty and the struggle it introduces, “It can seem very confusing to live in a place that simultaneously tells us to love our bodies at any stage while also explaining to us how the ultimate contemporary beauty standards we should aspire to are now more severe than ever.” You continue to explore the beauty of the body, of women through the femme gaze in an artistic manner. What are the most common struggles you encounter that women, the subjects in your work, face, and how does photography help to deal with those struggles, in your opinion?
I’m interested in the ways each of us constructs and destroys our own self-concept and how that translates visually. What does the autonomy of one’s body, self-narration, and likeness look like? How can I create that in an image or even a fleeting moment? These are questions I’ve been asking myself recently while investigating the daily performances we put on for ourselves. I’m interested in how we objectify and surveil ourselves and why. I often find inspiration and even solace in exploring this with other femmes, but I also believe these ideas can relate to anyone in one way or another.
As far as exploring ideas surrounding beauty, I feel like many truths are simultaneously at play, and there are no concrete answers or solutions. Right now, I see beauty as a kind of spectrum where one end is exploitation and the other is empowerment. What does it look like when both sides are being tapped at once? What does the middle look like? It can feel wholly energizing to feel beautiful and aligned with an inner narrative. But in this society, we’re told that we’re worth more, that we matter more if we’re thought of as beautiful. We’re also mocked, loathed, or blamed for others’ actions or violence against us if we’re considered (too) beautiful. Beauty can simultaneously fuel our authentic embodied identities and the oppression we encounter.
I’ve been wondering how I can express the effects of consumption, reflection, or regurgitation of identity-shaping influences while also leaving space around them. I’m curious how a photograph can affect the way we see ourselves and how it can shape the world’s perception to match our own.
While collaborating with another, flirting with ideas of reclaiming what beautiful or strong can mean or look like to each of us inspires me. While unapologetically exploring different versions of ourselves in my studio, we talk for hours and get to know each other more. Through my work, I think I’m ultimately searching for a safe space to share, connect, and understand ourselves and one another a little better. I usually feel a sense of intimacy and playfulness when I’m making something of or with someone.
‘Being unable to immediately see what my last move was allows me to rely on my instincts, which is one reason I prefer working with analog tools right now.’
The Technique
Recently, you started to work a lot with double and triple (or even five) exposure for self-portraits, projects as with the gorgeous Roseline Lawrence, and commissioned work. What fascinates you about this technique, and how did it develop over the past few years in both the technical sense and the narrative it allows to create?
Photographing multiple exposures on one negative has been exciting to me for a few different reasons. One of them surrounds control and how I feel more at the mercy of the process versus any specific end game in image form. I make a living by working commercially, where I need to be very precise and in control of the image I’m making. My personal art practice often involves the choice to travel away from this mindset somewhat. Projects where several pictures share space on one negative force me to rely on the memory of what my previous action was, but it’s nearly impossible for me to have a full grasp on what the final result will be. This puts me in a headspace that’s more open to experimentation and improvisation. Being unable to immediately see what my last move was allows me to rely on my instincts, which is one reason I prefer working with analog tools right now.
More specifically, over the last year, I’ve been working on an ongoing portrait series revolving around sharing trust, power, and gaze. The project is based on the possibilities and limitations of a subject’s control in a photographer’s image. I’ve been exploring a 'spectrum of autonomy' in these multi-exposure pictures where I photograph a frame then the model takes the cable release from me as I exit the room, leaving them with the camera and a mirror behind it. Next, they pose themself in the composition and make a self-portrait in the remaining frame(s). I feel like this collaborative practice could travel in many ways, and I’m curious about pushing it to extreme places.
I wonder how the power dynamics of gaze and hierarchy between author, subject, and a viewer can be flattened? How could these be amplified?
Kindness
Some of the themes that shine through your work, to me, are kindness, acceptance, and love (love to the self and the other). What do you think were the main influences on you that affect your choices today: choices in models, in the narrative you present, in the emphasis you decide on in your work?
That’s a very nice thing to hear, thanks so much.
I often feel like my work is a yearn for connection through quiet, honest moments and conversations. Being trusted by someone to create something together made from their likeness feels sacred and like receiving a delicate gift. I’ve been exploring how I can visually depict the unseen emotional connection between us as photographer and subject and what an intersection of shared life experience can look like in a photograph. I’m interested in what it feels like when we can see ourselves in one another. I try to stay open, listen and learn something from those who choose to collaborate with me.
On the other hand, however, mainly through performance, I’ve been getting excited and more comfortable exploring wackier, even villainous ideas. I’m becoming increasingly more interested in how grotesque yet hopeful the middle of a makeover can feel and how that can translate into something performative. Influences that affect my work often include conflicting feelings, ideas surrounding control, memories from childhood or adolescence, and treatment of femininity in media and art.
A Sneak Peek
Could you provide us a sneak peek into the project you’re currently working on or some of the themes in development?
Yes! I’d love to share.
Last month, I performed at Pageant, an artist-run performance space in Brooklyn. The show featured my childhood doll who ‘came to life’ and injected my lips with Juvederm. The person who performed the injection is an actual aesthetic nurse injector, Monica Rivera. I’ve known her for over two years, mostly in the context of her clinic until recently, while working on the performance together. I’m so grateful and still a bit in shock that Monica agreed to do it with me.
I’m currently working on a book in collaboration with my brilliant friend Andrew J.S. and his publishing imprint, Éditions. This project is made up of self-portraits captured while trying to tie the 'perfect bow.'
I’m also planning a very personal film and performance project where I kiss lipstick off of my mother’s mouth. She and I made some photographs exploring the concept and the choreography when I visited her in Georgia several weeks ago.
Lastly, I’m working on a photo series exploring distortion through repetition, surveillance footage, and glass.
