HALO! By Cyril Ely and Anatoly Pavlov

KALTBLUT presents: Halo! The photos and film are taken from the exhibition held at Berthold Centre made by Cyril Ely and Anatoly Pavlov. This series devoted to the first impressions. The exaggerated influence of first impressions is related to the «halo effect» a type of cognitive bias in which our overall impression impacts our evaluations of the person’s specific traits. First impression is our spontaneous reaction on the newness of stranger’s face, our intuitive judgment about the Other based upon sophisticated instincts. The first impression appears instantly and we tend to trust it. «What is beautiful is good». On the basis of a person’s appearance we draw conclusions about his personality.

This project made to reflect the subjectivity of first impressions through the portrait. Portrait is one of the most important form of human’s self-representation in culture. The face’s metamorphosis under the influence of distortions rendered by the ice is a metaphor of how subjective our personal evaluations is. We are looking for the meanings in our inner world but it is only reduction of subjectivity reveals us the true Other’s mind. Can we always rely on intuition? Can the work of intellect in appraisal the Other be so reliable as the unconscious mind? Our instincts defines our life but not repeals our freedom of choice.