THIS BOB’S FOR YOU : Taking a Trip With Cutouts Is More Than Just Cutting Up

Bob Manley is leaving today on a six-week cross-country tour with 15 life-sized cutout photos of himself. He plans to hit more than 100 cities and let America enjoy his blond hair, muscular frame and cunning smile.

But don’t call this a 12,000-mile ego trip. It’s more like a traveling art show with a sense of humor and a sense of self.

“It’s exaggerating the idea of narcissism to the point where people can find humor in it,” says Manley, 23, a Canyon Country resident who recently graduated from CalArts in Valencia with a major in fine arts. “I don’t want people to come away thinking I’m egotistical. I’m just an average guy.”

Manley made the portraits for a gallery show at CalArts in February. It was then called “A graduate exhibition by Bachelor of Fine Arts student Robert Manley, dealing with himself.” It is now dubbed “Bob Across America.”

‘Bob Across America’ T-Shirts

In taking his show on the road, he says, his goal is not to win fame but to get people involved with his artwork. He plans to take the Bobs to parks, county fairs and other spots where he hopes onlookers will touch the Bobs, play with them and generally have fun.

And he won’t mind if they buy a few “Bob Across America” T-shirts for $10 each.

The Bobs are mounted on thin, wooden boards atop 2-inch pedestals. They stand a few inches taller than the 6-foot, 1-inch Manley and are dressed in Manley’s casual but stylish wardrobe. One is wearing swim trunks, and one has on white pants and a Hawaiian shirt. Another sports dark pants, dress shoes and a black overcoat.

“We want them to develop their own individual identity,” Manley says.

For instance, Manley says, while on tour the better-dressed Bobs will frequent more upscale locales, such as casinos in Las Vegas. The more casual Bobs will be taken to beach parties and carnivals. “Some Bobs will be more interested in doing fun and games, and others will be more interested in taking care of serious things,” he says.

And given the extensive travel plans, Manley has not ignored one very real possibility: the demise of a Bob. “If one gets broken or run over by a car, then we might have the death of a Bob,” he says. “Or maybe a Bob will fall off a cliff and get hurt.”

On a happier note, Manley would like to see one of his Bobs tie the knot. “We could put on a fake marriage so one could get married,” he says. “The more we can get them involved in community events, the better.”

Manley and cousin Dan Manley, also 23, will leave from Venice Beach at noon in a 1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass. One of the Bobs, hinged at the waist and knees, will ride the entire trip in the back seat. The others will ride in a specially designed trailer hitched to the car.

To help defray the estimated $10,000 cost of the trip--$1,200 for gas--Manley has tried to enlist corporate sponsorship, sending proposals to 170 companies in Los Angeles. He also has sent requests to famous Bobs, including Bob Newhart, Bob Hope, and Bob Denver of television’s “Gilligan’s Island.” He has received 20 rejection letters, so far, but no takers.

“I’ve invested my life savings in this,” Manley says. “When I get back, I’m going to be penniless, homeless and jobless.”

The self-portraits, which Manley shot by stepping on a 20-foot cable release, have been well-received by CalArts administrators.

“It’s not esoterica, withheld from the people,” said Nicholas England, CalArts acting president. “It’s the social aspect that impresses me the most--the actual pieces themselves, not only in their concern with Bob the individual, but pulling other people into Bob the individual.”

‘Wasn’t Satisfied With Who I Was’

Before creating the show at CalArts, Manley had never even photographed himself, let alone considered displaying himself nationwide. In fact, he was terribly shy. “I wasn’t satisfied with who I was,” he says. “I didn’t like the way I looked. I was just insecure.”

He did some research and found that his feelings were common. According to one book, Louis Harris’ “Inside America,” 83% of Americans don’t like to be the center of attention. Sixty-eight percent do not like others to notice and comment on their appearance.

Manley’s project, he says, flies in the face of “this great wave of shyness which has overtaken the country.”

On a personal level, the show has enabled Manley to accept himself. On a professional level, Manley hopes the tour will spawn a book and a successful career as an artist.

He is considering putting the Bobs on the market upon returning to Southern California, but he won’t quote a price, yet. It depends on how popular the Bobs become and how well they weather the journey.

“I’m sure they’re going to be considerably trashed by the end of it,” he says.

If that happens, Manley won’t feel personally wounded. “I don’t look at them as me anymore. They’re my Bobs. They’re my art.”