Slitherstition: Andrew McGibbon’s Scintillating Look at Snakes
Snakes get a bad rap. And they have throughout history. Perhaps it’s their cold-blooded, slithering and hissing disposition, but snakes have long been feared and associated with evil. London-based photographer Andrew McGibbon attempts to change that perception with his compelling series, cleverly named Slitherstition. By photographing his serpentine subjects from overhead and on brightly colored backgrounds, McGibbon is able to capture them in a vulnerable state, and emphasize their inherent beauty and grace. McGibbon has a terrific sense of color, paring the reptiles with interesting, vivid background colors to compliment their almost graphic exteriors. McGibbon is also quite the articulate wordsmith, explaining this project in more depth: “While a great many species of animals are subject to projections of man’s metaphorical thinking, I don’t see another – not even venomous counterparts, like spiders or scorpions; or sharks which hide in murky depths, waiting (as the horror movies have us think) to rip us apart, which is thought of as so deadly and demonic. The snake is insidious, while the serpent is all-mighty and terrifying. From ancient symbols to pop culture and schlock horror, from Medusa to Freud, the snake is a single unifier, a common enemy unanimously held in hideous regard – it is, everyone agrees, evil. These images, then, are a result of my attempts to break down our suppositions of the animal. As with all victims of an ‘othering’ process, the serpent deserves a second look, beyond its slithering and dark hypnosis.”
Another snake-related post here.
