Pichler’s Just The Two Of Us had a lot of trouble finding subjects.
Viennese artist Klaus Pichler’s been working on his cosplay project, Just The Two Of Us, for two and a half years. The idea was simple: persuade cosplayers to let him take their photo, in their own home environment. You never see the face behind the mask; you see the mask the person chooses to wear, whether that person’s watching TV, working, or having a bath. But Pichler had a lot of trouble persuading his subjects to go along with the idea, as most cosplayers he approached turned him down.
“The ratio really sucked,” says he. “It was like one to nine people who were open to it. I’ve gotten a lot of refusals.” But the rest … well, you can see for yourself. Some are Furries, some LARPers, while some go traditional and dress as Krampus, the Yule spirit that punishes bad children. Wondering which one he is? That’s the gent with the horns that looks like a goat’s nightmare. Coal in your stocking is nothing compared to a visit from Krampus.
Pichler deliberately chose not to take pictures of the subjects without their costumes. The whole point, for him, was to juxtapose the fantasy of their inner lives against the mundane outer trappings. The last thing he intended was to make fun of his subjects. “By doing that you’re avoiding reflection and not thinking about why people are doing it,” says he. “You’re not thinking about what the person wants to say with their costume.”
For the full set, look over at Pichler’s page.
Source: Wired
