12:31 the visible human project as a photographic series

on august 5, 1993 at 12:31 a.m., 37-year old texan joseph paul jernigan was executed by lethal injection for the stabbing and shooting of edward hale, who discovered him stealing a microwave oven. before his death, jernigan agreed to donate his body for scientific research which resulted in his cadavar being cut and documented for the visible human project, a detailed data set of cross-sectional photographs of the human body.

using the same set of images from the 65 gigabyte project, san francisco-based croix gagnon along with photographer frank schott has conceived and directed a series entitled ’12:31′ – the exact time of jernigan’s execution’ – which depicts ghostly forms floating in a solemn backdrop at night. often curled up, stretched, or twisted into abstract shapes, the glowing figure is still eerily recognizable in its makeup, resembling a contorted human form in the configuration of the smokey legs and opaque skull. at once haunting and captivating, the figure directly relates to its environment, further adding to the sense of isolation and abandonment found in the surrounding.

the process, which is a cross between long-exposure and night photography, included an animation of the 1,871-image set being played fullscreen on a computer. the laptop was then moved around by an assistant while being captured on an open shutter, essentially creating a ‘light painting’ of the entire cadaver. different shaped of the body was constructed with different movements and motions of the computer.

Source Data for Photography/12:31 from Croix Gagnon on Vimeo.

creators:

concept & art direction: croix gagnon photographer: frank schott post-production: alex katz/blinklab digital c-prints: dickerman prints

a limited collection of the photographs are available as prints with all the proceeds going towards amnesty international. for more information on the project, and to purchase one of the prints, click here.

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