Color Blinded // 2021
Color Blinded is a project bored out of the mind of lead artist Eddie Jag in 2018. Excerpt from the artist explaining the project:
“The initial concept came to me after hearing a saying meant to indicate a person’s tolerance and sensitivity to racial, cultural, and ethnic bias. This statement might come in the form of this: ‘I am colorblind; I don’t see color,’ registering someone’s openness to all races, cultures, and ethnicities.
However, that statement troubled me as it did not accurately reflect the qualities needed to open someone’s mind. Exposure to other cultures and ethnicities different from yourself is vital to diminishing irrational human fears of the unknown. The more we surround ourselves in diversity, the more open we become. So instead of being “colorblind,” I proposed that we be blinded-by-color instead. Envelope yourself with all the beautiful colors in the spectrum of both nature and the human race. Diversity is beautiful and something we should cherish.
So, for now, God has not bestowed too much power for change in my hands; I’m simply a photographer. All I can do to showcase my art and hope that it inspires others. So what is it about colors that make some so afraid?
I present to you Color Blinded, an effort to smash through societal prejudices by portraying the beauty of color diversity.
I dedicate this project to my soon-to-be-born daughter, Josephine. May you grow up in a beautifully colored world.”
Eddie
This look’s inspiration comes from the Kara, a tribe indigenous to Ethiopia on the Horn of Africa. The Kara are known for painting their faces and entire bodies with elaborate designs using water mixed with chalk, charcoal, powered yellow rock, and iron ore. It is said to make them both more attractive and at the same time ward off rivals.
They paint their bodies daily, with beauty being a core part of their society and culture. The designs range from simple fine dots, stars or lines, to animal motifs such as the spotted plumage of a guinea fowl. Both sexes practice these symbolic, ornamental, and artistic expressions to appear more beautiful during courtship.
Unfortunately, information about them is minimal due to the dwindling size of the tribe. It is estimated there are between 1,000 – 2,000 of the Kara left. A deadly scourge of sleeping sickness is reported to have reduced their population at the end of the nineteenth century.
Project bio
For this makeup look, we took inspiration from the ancient indigenous European peoples called the Picts. They inhabited the area of what is now northern Scotland from late antiquity to around 900AD. Their name comes from the Latin word “Picti” and means “painted or tattooed people.”
The Picts were regarded as fierce warriors by the Romans, fighting off every conquest attempt even though their military technology was far inferior to that of Rome. The Romans were so mesmerized by these peoples that Julius Caesar wrote of them: “they dye themselves with woad, which produces a blue color, and makes their appearance in battle more terrible. They wear long hair, and shave every part of the body save the head and the upper lip.”
According to Roman sources, the only clothing the Picts wore were iron chains around their waists and throats. The Romans believed that they wore no clothes to show off more of their detailed body art.
The inspiration for this look came from the Tupi people indigenous to Brazil. The Tupi people inhabited almost all of Brazil’s coast when the Portuguese first arrived there. In 1500, their population was estimated at 1 million people, nearly equal to Portugal’s population at the time.
There was no unified Tupi identity but rather a shared cultural group with a common language and strong trade links between tribes. For the Tupi, body painting was one of the traditional forms of art. It continues today with marked features and a strong meaning for those who practice it.
The use of the genipap’s dark pigment signifies readiness for celebrations and rituals. The color black is used to denote happiness and peace. In contrast, the red dye from the annatto (urucum in Tupi) indicates a readiness to fight and unhappiness. The simultaneous use of the two colors means that something is being negotiated and open to dialogue.
Team
Producer/Lead Artist/Retoucher – Eddie Jag:
https://instagram.com.eddiejagmedia/
Makeup – Jenny Bouton:
https://www.instagram.com/jennybouton/
Hair – Astrid Castro:
https://www.instagram.com/astrid.gabriela/
Blue Model – Sevahna de Leon:
https://www.instagram.com/sevahna/
Yellow Model – Jayvoni Abbot:
https://www.instagram.com/illestbrownskin/
Green Model – Yolanda Damon:
https://www.instagram.com/la_native_la/
Studio – FD Photo Studio:
Color Blinded is a project bored out of the mind of lead artist Eddie Jag in 2018. Excerpt from the artist explaining the project:
“The initial concept came to me after hearing a saying meant to indicate a person’s tolerance and sensitivity to racial, cultural, and ethnic bias. This statement might come in the form of this: ‘I am colorblind; I don’t see color,’ registering someone’s openness to all races, cultures, and ethnicities.
However, that statement troubled me as it did not accurately reflect the qualities needed to open someone’s mind. Exposure to other cultures and ethnicities different from yourself is vital to diminishing irrational human fears of the unknown. The more we surround ourselves in diversity, the more open we become. So instead of being “colorblind,” I proposed that we be blinded-by-color instead. Envelope yourself with all the beautiful colors in the spectrum of both nature and the human race. Diversity is beautiful and something we should cherish.
So, for now, God has not bestowed too much power for change in my hands; I’m simply a photographer. All I can do to showcase my art and hope that it inspires others. So what is it about colors that make some so afraid?
I present to you Color Blinded, an effort to smash through societal prejudices by portraying the beauty of color diversity.
I dedicate this project to my soon-to-be-born daughter, Josephine. May you grow up in a beautifully colored world.”
Eddie
Project bio:
For this makeup look, we took inspiration from the ancient indigenous European peoples called the Picts. They inhabited the area of what is now northern Scotland from late antiquity to around 900AD. Their name comes from the Latin word “Picti” and means “painted or tattooed people.”
The Picts were regarded as fierce warriors by the Romans, fighting off every conquest attempt even though their military technology was far inferior to that of Rome. The Romans were so mesmerized by these peoples that Julius Caesar wrote of them: “they dye themselves with woad, which produces a blue color, and makes their appearance in battle more terrible. They wear long hair, and shave every part of the body save the head and the upper lip.”
According to Roman sources, the only clothing the Picts wore were iron chains around their waists and throats. The Romans believed that they wore no clothes to show off more of their detailed body art.
This look’s inspiration comes from the Kara, a tribe indigenous to Ethiopia on the Horn of Africa. The Kara are known for painting their faces and entire bodies with elaborate designs using water mixed with chalk, charcoal, powered yellow rock, and iron ore. It is said to make them both more attractive and at the same time ward off rivals.
They paint their bodies daily, with beauty being a core part of their society and culture. The designs range from simple fine dots, stars or lines, to animal motifs such as the spotted plumage of a guinea fowl. Both sexes practice these symbolic, ornamental, and artistic expressions to appear more beautiful during courtship.
Unfortunately, information about them is minimal due to the dwindling size of the tribe. It is estimated there are between 1,000 – 2,000 of the Kara left. A deadly scourge of sleeping sickness is reported to have reduced their population at the end of the nineteenth century.
The inspiration for this look came from the Tupi people indigenous to Brazil. The Tupi people inhabited almost all of Brazil’s coast when the Portuguese first arrived there. In 1500, their population was estimated at 1 million people, nearly equal to Portugal’s population at the time.
There was no unified Tupi identity but rather a shared cultural group with a common language and strong trade links between tribes. For the Tupi, body painting was one of the traditional forms of art. It continues today with marked features and a strong meaning for those who practice it.
The use of the genipap’s dark pigment signifies readiness for celebrations and rituals. The color black is used to denote happiness and peace. In contrast, the red dye from the annatto (urucum in Tupi) indicates a readiness to fight and unhappiness. The simultaneous use of the two colors means that something is being negotiated and open to dialogue.
Team
Producer/Lead Artist/Retoucher – Eddie Jag:
https://instagram.com.eddiejagmedia/
Makeup – Jenny Bouton:
https://www.instagram.com/jennybouton/
Hair – Astrid Castro:
https://www.instagram.com/astrid.gabriela/
Blue Model – Sevahna de Leon:
https://www.instagram.com/sevahna/
Yellow Model – Jayvoni Abbot:
https://www.instagram.com/illestbrownskin/
Green Model – Yolanda Damon:
https://www.instagram.com/native_la_la/
Studio – FD Photo Studio:
