Comic Challenges Attitudes And Perceptions

Comic Challenges Attitudes And Perceptions

As part of his show in the 2009 NZ International Comedy Festival, comedian and social entrepreneur Philip Patston has launched the Diverse Perspectives Portrait Project (D3P) to explore the interaction of attitude and perception using portraiture. Unitec Fine Arts students will create portraits of the gay, disabled comic informed by different attitudes.

“We hope to see how different attitudes projected by the subject impact on the perspectives of the artists,” says Patston, “proving that diversity is not only in the eye of the beholder, but also in the eye of the person being beheld.”

Patston will pose using what he believes are a number of commonly held attitudes about marginalised people, that he calls the four T’s. These are trauma, tragedy, tricky (difficult), and triumphant.

But Patston has thrown in a fifth T: a less common but truer perception that he calls tree-like.

“Most people who don’t know me wouldn’t see me as grounded, strong and resilient, but in fact I think I am, more so than most,” he says.

“This is a direct result of having to be tough, pragmatic and well-organised in my day-to-day life, in order to achieve what I have, while managing the ill-informed perceptions of others. I think a lot of disabled people, single parents, gays, lesbians, transgender and other marginalised people exhibit tree-like qualities.”

The photo shoot will take place on Saturday 18 May at 2pm at Unitec. Students will be assigned an attitude/perception and will have a week to complete the portraits, which will contribute to their coursework.

The results will create an exhibition in the foyers of the venues of Patston’s shows in Auckland (The Herald Theatre 2-9 May) and Wellington (The Fringe Bar 20-23 May). They will also be displayed on the website, Creative Momentum, which promotes creative diversity.

ENDS

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