Kelli Connell
American, b. 1974
Reverie, 2006
Chromogenic color print
30 x 40 in
2011.3.2
Museum purchase with funds from Mrs. Jean Messmer in memory of Dr. Charles Clemens Messmer by exchange
Collection of the Haggerty Museum of Art, Marquette University
http://museum.marquette.edu/eMuseumPlus?service=ExternalInterface&module=collection&objectId=6827&viewType=detailView

The most obvious form of alternate readings occur when fans create alternate universes, fanon, and headcanon. The term “alternate universe” refers to the creation of a new fan text wherein the fan object exists differently than it does within the source material. This might be a gender bending cosplay, or a piece of art that imagines the continuing presence of a beloved character who has left a show. Fanon plays off the term canon and refers to a fact about the fan object that—while not written into the source material—is generally believed by all fans or a subset of fans. Fanon is created when a character in a show or movie does something that does not seem to fit with their previous characterization—fanon fills in the back story that explains the “why.” Fans create alternate readings in order to make a fan object more accessible or approachable—more like them—deepinging the fan’s connection. Headcanon is like fanon, in that it fills in unanswered facts about a fan object. It is different from fanon in that it is specific to an individual and not necessarily shared widely across the fandom.

Kelli Connell creates visual narratives, which she describes as “constructed realities.” Using a single model, Connell uses digital technology—as well as precise, detailed manipulation of photographs—to produce constructed, realistic images containing two characters. The result is a multi-faceted questioning of duality; of masculine and feminine, exterior and interior. Connell is interested in “not only what the subject matter says about myself, but also what the viewers’ response to these images says about their own identities and social constructs.”