Double Imagery

Double imagery is all around us.  Pattern is unavoidable in day to day life.  I took a 96 pace walk from my studio space to the back exit of T2.  In this short walk, I found 8 double images.

There are 3 images here that stand out to me the most. 

The first is of the plug sockets.  They have near perfect symmetry.  The switches, the socket, the screws, but they all link as one by the single pipe like structure coming from the top (umbilical?), which then highlights the fact they are all encased in one frame (womb like?). 

The second image is that of the boxes.  One is upside down almost breaking up their identicality, but this is then reaffirmed by the way in which the blue stripe continues as one across them both, connecting them (conjoined?). 

The final photograph is of the fire extinguishers.  At first glance, they look the same, but each actually has its own unique identity.  They put out different types of fires, but both have the same function (to extinguish).  One is larger than the other (dominance?).

One Actor, Two Roles

I just finished watching 'Dead Ringers'.  Other than the fact it was a weird and not very up beat sunday afernoon film, I found myself most concerned by the fact that film makers had chosen Jeremy Irons to portray BOTH Mantle brothers. This is also the case in another famous twin movie 'The Parent Trap' (both versions).

Why? Why not find two perfectly good actors who are identical twins to play the part of identical twins?  Surely there are twin actors out there?  Perhaps it is a gimmick by the film company to promote the cleverness of the filming.  Maybe identical twins just weren't identical enough compared to one person.

To be honest, I found this really distracting and couldn't help looking for the join in the film where they sandwiched the same actor twice into the same frame, or looking out for the dodgy wig they'd put onto the 'Jeremy Irons from behind' actor whenever the brothers had physical contact.

I have been trawling the web to find answers, but so far seem unsuccessful.  However, in my search I have also came across films that feature twins, but use non-twin actors.  Which bring me back to my original question of why!? 

Can anyone shed any light?

Dindi van der Hoek



Dindi van der Hoek uses twins as the center focus of  'interior'.  The busy background and watery atmosphere are almost made irrelevant by the strong use of the identical twins, who's almost conjoined present is very demanding.  All the objects of the room almost blend together in tone and style, whereas the figures do not, standing out due to their size and bold blue colouring on their dresses.  This is a perfect example of how a double image, or twins, can really take the focus within a space. Reflection and mirroring also helps to emphasise this idea within the piece.

 

Van der Hoek, D (2004) Interior [photograph] In: Klanten, R. Ehmann, S. Schluze, F. (2011) Doppelganger: The Image of the Human Being Berlin: Gestalten, p. 221