Subjects are stripped nude, slathered in multicoloured paint, strike dramatic poses and then photographed at the precise moment that a water cannon blasts them. These astounding visuals are the work of photographer Aaron Ansarov in his current ongoing project entitled The Human Spectrum.
“First, I want for people to get over the nudity issue,” Ansarov says, “These are human beings with body parts and there is a 50/50 chance that they have the same parts as the viewer.” Though the project inherently involves nudity, Ansarov states that rather than an exploration of sexuality, The Human Spectrum’s goal is to strip away the preconceptions of what makes us seem different. Ansarov intends for viewers of his work “…to realize that this is a human being of no ethnicity, religion, political or sexual affiliation or financial status.” He claims that once the paint is applied to his “blank canvas” subjects that “They are no longer caucasian, hispanic or asian. They are just human bodies of shapes and colors.”
Ansarov, who now resides in his home state of Florida, served for 15 years in the U.S military as a photographer and combat cameraman. Though he says that he’s “always been fascinated with the application of colors to space,” Ansarov recalls that it was a single moment during his lengthy time with the armed forces which inspired the project. He noticed a particular soldier with a face covered in mud and how it “…completely made him disappear.” Like how paint on a building can change its identity, Ansarov believes that moment gave him “…a fascination with using media to change an object.”
/Aaron Ansarov
Ansarov is resolute that the people who appear in The Human Spectrum be unnamed ordinary people, not professional models. “I get them from everywhere,” he explains, “My wife and I have even found them while waiting in line at the grocery store.” This policy, he explains, is in place because he wants his subjects expressions to be as natural as possible, without being influenced by pay or preconceptions of how they should appear on camera. Ansarov wants nothing to sway his subjects as to “…what they need to do or should do.”
“I want for the entire process from the moment the subject walks in the door to be a mystery and challenge to overcome,” he says, “I want to find people that will do this as a choice of growth and empowerment to them.”
Reactions to the project have been overwhelmingly positive and now rather than asking potential subjects at the grocery store Ansarov is now receiving contact online through social media from potential subjects. “What we have found is how excited the subjects get when they make the choice,” he says, “and afterwards have a sense of power and accomplishment they have never had before.” The attention has gotten Ansarov very excited for more daring pieces featuring ten or more painted subjects at once.
He explains that he’s worked with a variety of powders, makeups and other materials but paint had special unpredictable qualities that drew him to it. “I associate paint as a type of multi-colored blood,” he says, “It has no rhyme or reason on where it goes and blends with the other colors to create constant surprises.” This means that each project is unique. In case we worry about his subjects’ safety, Ansarov informs us that “I use a water- based tempera paint that is completely non-toxic and commonly sold in art supply stores and to teachers for kid’s finger painting.”
The First Breakfast /Aaron Ansarov
Ansarov’s process doesn’t rely on a strict methodology and is instead very instinctual, “I simply feel the colors I want to use and go from there,” he says. He begins by covering every single inch of each subject in a single colour base coat before dripping paint (usually a variation of three or more colours) around the body in whatever way feels right. Ansarov believes that from this moment of envelopment in paint they are “no longer a nude.”
Next, Ansarov poses his subjects in whatever form strikes him, be it a recreation of The Last Supper or in the style of Greek sculpture. “I constantly look at work from multiple genres,” he says “So I sometimes have no idea where my references come from.”
Once posed, Ansarov unleashes a torrent of water from a firehose, engulfing his subjects. “It is in that split second before the water falls in front of them that I get the shots,” he says. Each image takes between 5 to 10 minutes from start to completion. Considering the lighting, paint mixes, the right pose for his subject, it’s not surprising that Ansarov believes that the biggest challenge “…is in making sure everything happens perfectly all at the same exact time. There are a lot of elements in action.”
/Aaron Ansarov
Though the atmosphere may sound chaotic, Ansarov plans his gear for these sessions meticulously. He prefers to capture on a Nikon D810 with a 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II lens. The shoots take place in his back garden but to be precise it’s inside a modifiable tent Ansarov designed himself that’s enclosed in black. Not leaving absolutely anything to chance, even the water supply has been tailored specifically for the task at hand. An industrial pump amplifies the pressure, combined with a fireman’s hose and nozzle to create a specific spray. All of the ensuing mayhem is lit with an Elinchrom Ranger speed RX along with two diffusers. When everything has been shot, Ansarov then processes the final product in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop Creative Suite
Interest in the project means that over the next few months he’ll be traveling around the U.S to let others become part of The Human Spectrum at a series of Spectrum Paint Parties. Just like the sessions he runs at his home, these will be private and not open to the public. This feeling of safety is important. “They all had insecurities coming in”, says Ansarov of his subjects, “and regardless of their shape, size, confidence level have a form of insecurity and judgement of themselves that was overcome when they left my studio.” He likens the messy process as being a type of rebirth.
Ansarov says that the project has opened his eyes to “…how amazingly natural people can be with each other when there is nothing but paint between them.” He bemoans the idea of sex and nudity being considered taboo and explains that once that issue is removed “people show a type of comfort with me that cannot be explained. It truly is a gift.”
The results of The Human Spectrum are outstanding. Somehow the paint manages to concurrently strip the subjects of identity while eliciting intense emotions creating a marvelous world of colour.
When asked what he hopes us to see in his work Ansarov responds, “I want viewers to see these subjects as vibrantly unique and dynamic. Humans being human.”
/Aaron Ansarov
If you are interested in the The Spectrum Party Tour the dates are below. For more details visit http://www.ansarov.com/
- Washington, DC – dates TBD
- Seattle, WA – dates TBD
- Colorado Springs, CO – August 19, 20, 21
- San Diego, CA – September 2,3,4
- Austin, TX – September 9,10,11
- Charlotte, NC – October 21,22,23
Cherry /Aaron Ansarov
(All images used with permission)