# Help me identify BIZARRE photo **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 6, 2004, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-bizarre-photo/258585 "2004-08-06T08:08:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-bizarre-photo/258585/1 "2004-08-06T08:08:49Z")
This picture keeps popping up on [fark.com](http://fark.com) and I am very curious about where it came from- [http://members.cox.net/fatherg/WTFMilk.jpg](http://members.cox.net/fatherg/WTFMilk.jpg) Any ideas? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-bizarre-photo/258585/2 "2004-08-06T10:18:05Z")
He said there wasn’t any film in that camera! ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-bizarre-photo/258585/3 "2004-08-06T11:00:56Z")
I see that on Fark all the time and it never fails to creep my out. Disturbing enough to give scary clowns night terrors. ---
**Author:** ![karomon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@karomon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/karomon)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-bizarre-photo/258585/4 "2004-08-06T12:21:01Z")
Oh, I know this! But not really. The linked picture comes from a book of photos, but I don’t remember the name of the photographer nor the title of the book. The first chapter is a naked alien baby in some sort of lab giving birth to a creature. Then scenes of horror and violence as aliens invade earth. Then aliens become somewhat mixed into human society - some as pets, some as kind of another “race” of people. This is one of the later photos, where some of the human-like aliens are treated to I guess what you’d call racism. ---
**Author:** ![karomon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@karomon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/karomon)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-bizarre-photo/258585/5 "2004-08-06T12:22:07Z")
By “naked alien baby”, I of course mean “naked alien LADY”. But of course you all knew that. ---
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-bizarre-photo/258585/6 "2004-08-06T12:38:50Z")
You talking about the shot in the shower and the milk being poured on the woman? If so, it looks to me like some freaky ad for coconut milk. Notice the thickness and “stickiness” of the milk. It kinda clings to her rather than running off the way regular milk would. The strange looking creature looks to me as if somebody’s used a coconut and modified it to appear “human”. Just a WAG on my part, but that’s what it looks like to me. ---
**Author:** ![jk1245](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/49beb7/32.png) [@jk1245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jk1245)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-bizarre-photo/258585/7 "2004-08-06T14:11:50Z")
It’s from a series called “Understanding Joshua” by photographer Charlie White. According to White, the puppet (Joshua) represents “complete fragility manifest in a body” and the photos explore male self-doubt and loathing. I’m no art scholar or anything, but I find the pictures creepy, but weirdly compelling (maybe I loathe myself, I don’t know). [Here’s](http://www.nyfa.org/level4.asp?id=147&fid=1&sid=51&tid=167) an interview where he talks about that photo in particular. If you do a Google search for “Understanding Joshua” you can find lots more. [This one](http://www.mrhappysad.com/weblog/images/charlie_white.jpg) is creeptacular as well. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-bizarre-photo/258585/8 "2004-08-06T14:41:37Z")
You can see a few more examples of his work [here](http://www.andrearosengallery.com/artists/index.asp). I think for me, this very neatly refutes the criticism ‘you say it isn’t art because you don’t like it’ (I am something of a philistine when it comes to some modern art - some of which I can only describe as ‘utter pretentious wank’) This is something I really don’t like, yet I would not for a moment hesitate to call it ‘art’ - it is clever, creative, imaginative, provocative and stimulating. I don’t like it at all, but I cannot but admit it is really well done. ---
**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-bizarre-photo/258585/9 "2004-08-06T15:49:49Z")
Wow I had no idea they were art photos. Oh man, this is up there with the picture of the woman eating cat food with kittens chained to her nipples…:eek: ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-bizarre-photo/258585/10 "2004-08-06T15:55:45Z")
\ Can’t sleep…Joshua will get me…can’t sleep…Joshua will get me…can’t sleep…Joshua will get me… \ ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-bizarre-photo/258585/11 "2004-08-06T15:56:03Z")
How is Joshua rendered for these photos? Is he a puppet? Is he totally digital? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-bizarre-photo/258585/12 "2004-08-06T16:01:13Z")
> [@karomon](#): > > Oh, I know this! But not really. > > The linked picture comes from a book of photos, but I don’t remember the name of the photographer nor the title of the book. The first chapter is a naked alien baby in some sort of lab giving birth to a creature. Then scenes of horror and violence as aliens invade earth. Then aliens become somewhat mixed into human society - some as pets, some as kind of another “race” of people. This is one of the later photos, where some of the human-like aliens are treated to I guess what you’d call racism. So, er, did you just make this up? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-bizarre-photo/258585/13 "2004-08-06T16:05:47Z")
Sounds like there’s a bit of _Alien Nation_ mixed in with what **karomon** said, at least the milk and the racism aspects. ---
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-bizarre-photo/258585/14 "2004-08-06T16:17:52Z")
So there another message board with **FatherG** as one of the members. He posed the very same question to his bunch last March. I had the link but I’ve got so damned much spyware on my computer it’ll barely run anymore. So you’ll have to find it yourelf. Goddamned AOL…I swear to God I’m gonna trash this FFin PC and start over. AND if AOL ever shows up on it again, I’m gonna be like one of those curse’d postal workers… _we don’t understand…he just kinda went nuts, he always seemed mormal…it just came from nowhere_ Oh yeah, from nowhere ya say. Sorry folks…just had ta blow off a bit of steam. I’ve been two hours cleaning the spyshit off this computer. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![karomon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@karomon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/karomon)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-bizarre-photo/258585/15 "2004-08-06T22:43:08Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > So, er, did you just make this up? 😉 No. I was talking about [this](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/3980760294/002-2905062-7341621?v=glance) book. Unfortunately there are no previews of it… but I assure you there are alien chicks giving birth, UFO carnage and things along those lines. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-bizarre-photo/258585/16 "2004-08-06T22:59:45Z")
> [@jk1245](#): > > . According to White, the puppet (Joshua) represents “complete fragility manifest in a body” and the photos explore male self-doubt and loathing. Is it just me, or does this sound like a load of horseshit somebody yanked from their ass while sweating over an NEA grant? ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-bizarre-photo/258585/17 "2004-08-06T23:05:56Z")
Careful, you’ll hurt Joshua’s feelings. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-bizarre-photo/258585/18 "2004-08-06T23:09:57Z")
> [@Loopydude](#): > > Is it just me, or does this sound like a load of horseshit somebody yanked from their ass while sweating over an NEA grant? Just you. You can tell from the other pictures linked in this thread that there’s a theme that goes through the work, and you can see it from his interpretation. I typically _hate_ most modern art and pretentious-sounding explanations/justifications of it like this one. But this series totally works, IMO. The pictures are intriguing, so you have to ask, “What the hell _is_ that, anyway?” You wonder what’s going on, you form your own interpretation, you hear the artist’s interpretation, and it drives the point home. Cool stuff. Very disturbing, but cool. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2004, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-bizarre-photo/258585/19 "2004-08-07T02:56:06Z")
I guess I’m gonna have to trust you on that.