This series is devoted to the theatricality of photography.
My work calls to reference images we have all seen before, whether that be from paintings, history books, or from the screen. These images are not remakes of famous works, and this is an important distinction to make. I wanted these photographs to feel familiar and recognizable; however, not to point directly at any one referent. It is interesting that photographs are often read as the setting of a scene, and yet not regarded as a form of staged theatrics. Though, there is and will always be a tendency to pose for the camera as soon as we are aware that our picture is being taken but even so, photos become arbitrary means of daily life. They are accessible and common practice, much like the invention of the medium, where it was seen as a tool to assist art making and not art making itself.
The focus or point of interest for the viewer should not only be on the intent of the photographer, but also the intent of the performer. This is the basis of my work. My scenes are stripped away of anything discernible, it's simply a raw form of stage production, existing without props or anything else to aid the background of the story. Instead, the reliance of the narrative falls to my performer, who seems caught in moments of quiet contemplation and voyeurism. She is aware of the camera, or at least of the empty tripod positioned in front of her. Is she posing? Is she confronting the camera or the viewer? I leave these questions for my audience to decide. To reveal her on the stage to the viewers is an act of deep vulnerability, and an act of looking with assumed permission. My interest lies between the intrusion of voyeurism and the allowance of the gaze.