Tag: Dollification

I was a boy of about twelve years of age when the school teacher handed out test forms. Most of the questions on the form were of a simple mathematic nature, and there were some questions that seemed to have some psychological relevance too.

One question in particular I remember very well: ‘Who would you like to be?’

I had to reread the question twice because I had anticipated something like: ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’

Biting on my pencil I paused for a while and then I jotted down: “Me, but somewhere else, away from here.”

They sent me to a school psychologist for that answer and there I learned that most kids had filled in the name of their rock or pop idol. At least half of them wanted to be John Lennon.

None of these kids became a legend like John Lennon. Neither did I, but I ended up away from there, just as I had hoped.

Not being who you are or what you are has always fascinated me and this may very well explain why I have photographed so many transvestites, transgenders and transsexuals. And last but not the least, people who are into dollification. For the last decade dollification has been my most important photographic subject and checking my now finished site I realize I forgot to add a gallery with dolls.