Young Me / Now Me: Portraits of People Over Time
Young Me Now Me is a recent project by the very fun (and very funny) Ze Frank. The premise is a great one, and remarkably simple. Submit two photos of yourself: one of you at an earlier age; the other of you as you are today, ideally doing the same pose as the original.
The whole project is genuinely delightful, spirited and fun. The photos that jump out most to me are the modern photos that most closely resemble the original. With more elements replicated, the differences stand out even more between the two.
Repetition and variation. Love this stuff.
There’s a strong pull of nostalgia, running underneath this project. It’s hard to pin down, but it’s there. I’m reminded a lot of My Parents Were Awesome.
When I think of Ze Frank’s projects, I think of Jonathan Harris a bit. Both artists go about creating amazing things with crowds (although Ze is way more playful in his explorations). If you aren’t familiar with all the fun stuff Ze Frank has made, you should really check out his site.
PS: Remember way, way back in the early days of the Internet and this How to Dance Properly tutorial got passed around? That was Ze Frank.
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Related:
Merlin Mann + Ze Frank: Inspiration, Brain Crack, and the Execution of Ideas
The Remnants: Pilot Starring Ze Frank and Ernie Hudson
World Building in a Crazy World: Vignettes by Jonathan Harris
This project is so incredibly awesome. Can’t. Stop. Browsing. I particularly love the accuracy with which the old photos are recreated in a lot of them.
Chris (March 24, 2010 at 10:00 am)Totally agree! What I find is that the solo pics (of just individuals) seem to elicit more of a playfulness. It’s the group shots with parents or siblings that, at least for me, have an aura of nostalgia or sadness about them.The photos say a lot about the people, but also captures Time as this invisible guy in the background. It’s a brilliant project.
avoision (March 24, 2010 at 11:16 am)Couldn’t stop clicking. Thank you for the link.
Stacey (March 25, 2010 at 7:10 pm)