Soft power: Pinkified and toyified (photo) copyright DeeDee Noon (2023) and courtesy of the artist.
Perth photographer and Edith Cowan University (ECU) PhD candidate, DeeDee Noon, is set to captivate audiences with her Toying with Photography: F-Stop Troop exhibition.
This 3D photographic portraiture exhibition raises playful questions such as, 'What is a toy?', 'What is a photographer?', and 'Why are both entwined with marketing and gender?'.
Ms Noon's PhD research investigates the sociocultural roles and functions of toys in relation to gender and forms the foundation of the exhibition.
The humorous faux-toy F-Stop Troop brand name playfully references the 1960s TV satire "F Troop" and the online photography community hub, Fstoppers.
Her artwork queries the ways in which contemporary society defines 'the toy' and how our view of toys has changed over time.
"For example, there is much anticipation about how producers will reinterpret Barbie in the new movie opening on 21 July," Ms Noon said.
"Barbie is one of the world's most recognisable toys, and a good example of how marketing, gender and toys intersect, and how toys evolve over time to reflect public attitude."
Over the past six decades, Barbie has changed hairstyles, facial expressions and had a multitude of careers.
However, some of the biggest changes to Barbie have occurred in recent years.
"In 2016 Mattel initiated a breakout 'Barbie for everyone' marketing strategy where the doll was diversified to encompass various body types, including curvy, tall and petite," Ms Noon said.
"And the inclusivity in representation has kept coming, for example Barbie wearing a hijab, Barbies with physical disabilities, different skin tones and hairstyles, and in 2022 Mattel released transgender Barbie."
Ms Noon said the brand icon has evolved and stretched to encompass diversity of representation, to the effect that today's Barbie can look like any of us.
"We are all Barbie now," she said.
Artworks on show
Ms Noon’s artwork plays with toy forms, language and contexts, blurring the lines between toys, miniatures, dolls, figurines, collectibles, art sculptures, and statues.
Her previous solo exhibition, "Pinkification: Rethinking pink," explored the complexities of the colour pink and its connection to femininity and identity.
In Toying with Photography: F-Stop Troop, Ms Noon 'toys' with the narrative of pink again.
"This exhibition is not one for fixed ideas about gender and pink," she said.
The 3D portraiture artworks on show include vibrant, pink, toy-like sculptures of ten Perth photographers, plus kaleidoscope animations influenced by photographic history, toy cameras, and photographic prints transforming familiar toys in images that offer a new perspective to the status quo.
Collaborating with ECU's Dr Lindsay Vickery, a leading practitioner of new music, Ms Noon's sonic environment integrates the clicks, pops, and whirs of various photographic instruments and toys, enhancing the immersive experience for visitors.
Ms Noon said she hoped viewers would engage with the artworks and contemplate what constitutes a toy, and how photography, gender identity narratives, and consumer culture collide.
"Determining what is, and what isn't, a toy has increasingly become a grey area, with marketers disguising all sorts of adult products as toys," Ms Noon said.
"For example, vaping marketing has been widely criticised for using toy-like appeal, and driverless car designers have made their vehicles look like cute, overgrown toys to reduce fears around the new technology."
"I hope the exhibition sparks conversations about the evolving boundaries and interpretations of toys in contemporary society, urging us to question and challenge existing norms."
The exhibition Toying with Photography: F-Stop Troop at North Metropolitan TAFE's Shopfront Gallery, 149 Beaufort Street, Northbridge, opens 18 July and runs until 5 August, from Tuesday to Saturday, between 11 am and 6:30 pm.
DeeDee Noon will deliver three 20-minute Artist's talks each day at 11:30 am, 1:30 pm, and 6pm. On some occasions she will be joined by guest speakers to discuss 3D printing processes, photographic history and toy cameras. Visit the webpage for more details and to register.
