Back To The Future part deux
November 17, 2011 2:13 PM   Subscribe

Irina Werning has once again recreated the scenes from old photographs in a similar fashion as last time. (slightly NSFW)
posted by gman (43 comments total) 29 users marked this as a favorite
 
Very cool.
posted by villanelles at dawn at 2:17 PM on November 17, 2011 [9 favorites]


Unless I'm misunderstanding that fifth set, this is veryveryvery NSFW. Way more than "slightly."
posted by red clover at 2:19 PM on November 17, 2011


Artistic nudes aren't porn, but they're a pretty clear indicator of "I'm not really doing work" so I guess they can fall into some mild category of NSFW.
posted by Stagger Lee at 2:20 PM on November 17, 2011 [4 favorites]


somehow I knew that 5th set would get focused on. anyways, this was my favorite. hilarious facial expression.
posted by mannequito at 2:22 PM on November 17, 2011 [1 favorite]


Billy Bragg!
posted by cazoo at 2:25 PM on November 17, 2011 [3 favorites]


Very cool.

That's my favorite.
posted by ericb at 2:27 PM on November 17, 2011


Unless I'm misunderstanding that fifth set, this is veryveryvery NSFW. Way more than "slightly."

Jeepers. I was afraid I'd see some hardcore porn or something, but it's just boobs.
posted by katillathehun at 2:31 PM on November 17, 2011 [13 favorites]


So cool. So freaky.
posted by Specklet at 2:32 PM on November 17, 2011


I love this!
posted by insectosaurus at 2:33 PM on November 17, 2011


This also caught my eye, about Israelis traveling to India after their military service. They're a fairly controversial presence there, has there ever been an FPP on the topic?
posted by villanelles at dawn at 2:33 PM on November 17, 2011 [1 favorite]


But there's just something very, very bizarre about seeing a beautiful and sexy woman, topless, next to a photo of her looking exactly the same as a 9-10 year old.
posted by victory_laser at 2:33 PM on November 17, 2011 [1 favorite]


Love these.
posted by Wantok at 2:34 PM on November 17, 2011


Artistic nudes aren't porn

That line gets blurrier in many people's eyes when the subject is underage. In any case, it wasn't my intention to derail into an "art vs. pornography" analysis, only to point out for others' benefit (who may be viewing at work) that the FPP's parenthetical is, I think, a bit misleading. "Slightly NSFW" indicates something along the lines of bikini-clad girls, in my experience. An underage girl who is topless (and again, maybe I am misreading the photo?) goes way, way past "slightly NSFW."
posted by red clover at 2:34 PM on November 17, 2011 [1 favorite]



That line gets blurrier in many people's eyes when the subject is underage. In any case, it wasn't my intention to derail into an "art vs. pornography" analysis, only to point out for others' benefit (who may be viewing at work) that the FPP's parenthetical is, I think, a bit misleading.


I don't honestly understand how any sound minded person could confuse an innocent picture of a naked child with pornography.
posted by Stagger Lee at 2:37 PM on November 17, 2011 [13 favorites]


Oh, I see. You're upset about the topless kid. I guess I can get that, but there are "topless" photos of children everywhere, and they're completely harmless. That little girl isn't sexualized in any way. It's just her standing around being a funny little kid. That's the way I see it, anyway. In terms of work safety, however, I think the adult version is a bigger risk, but that depends on how strict the workplace is.
posted by katillathehun at 2:38 PM on November 17, 2011 [2 favorites]


Hey sorry, sober second thought here. If those thoughts are too much of a derail please delete.

I like the photos. Cheers.
posted by Stagger Lee at 2:38 PM on November 17, 2011


I wish children could still be allowed to be "a funny little kid" without our cultural baggage of "underage girl who is topless". Shouldn't we as a culture be better at recognizing clear subject consent and an obvious non-sexual pose?
posted by DaShiv at 2:44 PM on November 17, 2011 [2 favorites]


The execution is quite good, but for me its the full participation of the subjects that really makes the series stand out. All around very well done and I'm glad to be notified that there's a new series.
posted by cyphill at 2:45 PM on November 17, 2011 [1 favorite]


A definite reminder of Seinfeld's axiom that there is good naked and bad naked.




#5 (on the right) is definitely good naked.
posted by randomkeystrike at 2:45 PM on November 17, 2011


A few years back, a bank here in Canada created a calendar that had naked children playing in various playgrounds. There was a fair bit of uproar by a certain segment of the population at the time. I remember thinking that anyone who could possibly perceive the photos as pornographic were perverted.
posted by gman at 2:48 PM on November 17, 2011 [1 favorite]


Wow. I love this!
posted by Put the kettle on at 2:55 PM on November 17, 2011


Shouldn't we as a culture be better at recognizing clear subject consent and an obvious non-sexual pose?

As a culture, we probably should. As MeFites, we can. I have no personal objection to either photo. But for somebody who finds himself in the unfortunate circumstance of having this conversation with his boss after viewing the FPP at work, I think the nuance is likely to be lost. If that circumstance seems unlikely, it's my recollection that somebody at MetaFilter was fired a few years ago for viewing something similar. (Someone with a clearer memory can probably find the thread. Maybe I'm misremembering a detail.) That was my only point, and for my part, I apologize if it at all derailed what is otherwise a really, really cool FPP.
posted by red clover at 2:56 PM on November 17, 2011 [1 favorite]


Yes, but it's not JUST a topless girl, or JUST a topless grown woman. They're side by side, and that makes a big difference.

I'm not saying it's necessarily child porn, but it does make me a little uncomfortable. If you cropped the image so it was just the woman, showed it to someone and asked if it was a pin-up pose, they would probably agree. Therefore it is sexualized, and thus the pair of photos as one image is sexualized.
posted by victory_laser at 2:56 PM on November 17, 2011 [2 favorites]


I like the concept, but I think the last time was better.
posted by asnider at 2:57 PM on November 17, 2011


Well, if were going to talk about the nudity anyway, I'll come out with my hopefully non-derail comment: I know it's a selected group and a shallow thought, but I couldn't help but think that letting kids be comfortable naked seems to lead to them being healthy, attractive adults.

(As for the work related derail, if only there was a tag for that...oh wait...if you're in a situation where a worst case scenario is an issue, then you should probably listen to any such tag, slightly or not. I'm pretty sure that's both site policy and Internet common sense.)
posted by MCMikeNamara at 3:04 PM on November 17, 2011 [3 favorites]


Wow, these are fantastic! Thanks for the post. I hadn't previously seen the other FPP - so this was a pleasant surprise. The last one totally made me smile!

(As for the NSFW tag. If you're at work, why are you risking anything that is tagged as NSFW? For the sake of your professionalism avoid it until you get home. Use common sense and stop the bitching. Jeeze.)
posted by Bron-Y-Aur at 3:19 PM on November 17, 2011


Giorgio from Paris really grew into his outfit.
posted by hydrophonic at 3:19 PM on November 17, 2011 [2 favorites]


I'm amazed by the painstaking faithfulness-- background, props, clothing, body language, and facial expressions. I am also astonished at how well some women age. In Sarah & Jim 1986 & 2011 the only difference that 25 years has made to Sarah is that she no longer perms her hair. In Violeta 1981 & 2011 Buenos Aires I find it hard to believe that Violeta is 30 years older.

Meanwhile, Giorgio 1982 & 2011 Paris looks like an optical illusion when seen side by side. The child's head appears too big for his body and the man's head by contrast appears too small.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 3:22 PM on November 17, 2011 [1 favorite]


If you can cross your eyes, you can get some pretty neat stereoscopic-type effects going on. These are great.
posted by not_on_display at 3:24 PM on November 17, 2011


I understand and agree with your concern, red clover; however, my opinion is that the onus is on the reader in question to discern whether he's in a "not even slightly-NSFW" workplace.

We should probably take it to MeTa if we really want to discuss the labeling of NSFW.

Also agree with SLoG that the attention to details is really what sells this.
posted by DaShiv at 3:29 PM on November 17, 2011


The Billy Bragg one is making me wonder whether any of the other folk are unknown-to-me famous types? It seems like Giorgio from Paris should be famous for something, at least!
posted by jack_mo at 3:30 PM on November 17, 2011


That is some great photography.
posted by zardoz at 4:17 PM on November 17, 2011


How on earth did I miss that that was Billy Bragg the first time through!?

These are gorgeous--extraordinarily poignant, cumulatively.
posted by yoink at 4:17 PM on November 17, 2011


The Berlin Wall one was purely awesome. I'd love to see her photos incline more in that direction - where both the subject and the environment have changed dramatically, e.g., a vacant lot that was once a convenience store.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 4:53 PM on November 17, 2011


I think Evan has the best outfit
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 5:27 PM on November 17, 2011


Those are amazing. Many years ago (15?) my brothers and I did this and recreated a Sears portrait studio picture my mom has on her wall. It was really hard to get it to look right and didn’t come out near as good as these, but still funny. The clothes were the hardest part.

I sort of understand why it might be NSFW, but it kind of blows my mind that the nude woman picture is "weird" to anyone. I’m just not getting it.
posted by bongo_x at 10:04 PM on November 17, 2011


Why is this not a standard pose for adults?
posted by mazola at 10:05 PM on November 17, 2011


It didn't even register in my mind that the topless kid was NSFW/obscene/controversial until I read the comments (and even now I feel not even a hint of squirmishness).
posted by spacediver at 11:48 PM on November 17, 2011


I love this, especially the Berlin Wall.
posted by 4ster at 5:12 AM on November 18, 2011


e.g., a vacant lot that was once a convenience store.

TEN YEARS, MAN! TEN!

TEN! YEARS!
posted by grubi at 6:21 AM on November 18, 2011


Her head shrunk.
posted by Splunge at 10:41 AM on November 18, 2011


I love this, thanks.
posted by doctor_negative at 4:00 PM on November 18, 2011


I like this one. The idea of looking at the mirror and posing in the same manner after 28 years -- it's a very powerful image for me.

Also I like the family pictures just because.

How on earth does the photographer do this? I'm amazed.
posted by pleasebekind at 7:32 PM on November 18, 2011


« Older I think I saw both London and France, Rusty...   |   ahh that's the spot Newer »


This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments