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Where or when did your interest in photography begin?
Weirdly I used to be very against photography. I had a bad experience in college of having to learn film photography as part of a forensic science course but the tutor was terrible and didn't explain anything. I can remember just being so overwhelmed and stressed in the dark room that I would bang my head against the wall. So after that I figured photography wasn't for me.
Then around ten years later, I got incredibly ill with Anorexia. I used to go on these ridiculous walks for longer and longer times in a bid to lose more weight. In the end I just bought a camera to catalogue what I was seeing on those walks and kind of have an excuse to go on them. And then I was just bitten by the photography bug.
You mentioned that these photos are passport style selfies, why begin with such neutral photos?
I think there are a few reasons why. Because I photograph through glass and distort my subjects, I like to have limited variables. As a general rule, passport style images are lit in a certain way and have very little going on in terms of distractions. So it makes the process easier and allows the subject to stand out and speak for itself.
As a side note, we do have a weird relationship with passport style photographs. There's almost a shame to them. Most people hate showing their passport photographs. I think there's a vulnerability to them. We can't hide behind anything in them.
These images are then re-captured through everyday objects/glasses, any go-to objects you enjoy using? Additionally, which object has had the most surprising visual effect?
I've got an old school pint glass. It's one that most people have owned at some point. It has a lot of curvature and creates such wonderful shapes when distorting faces. I think every time I use it, I figure out a new way of photographing with it.
You mentioned your aim with these photos was to capture navigating society with Autism and social anxiety. Do you create all your art with an aim behind it?
Not everything has to have an aim for me. I think a lot of what I do is just exploring the world in my own way, trying things out and just seeing what is interesting to me. I'd love to be one of those people that plans projects but generally I stumble into a lot of things naturally by being open to experiment.
Additionally, when creating, is there a subject or topic you particularly gravitate toward addressing?
I think mental health is generally a theme that I will loop around to but I don't think it's something that you have to have struggled with in order to get something from my creative endeavours. At least I hope not anyway.
Finally, why do you think people make art?
I think it's different for everyone. For me personally, as I said before it's how I explore the world. The world is incredibly loud, confusing, scary, senseless and yet delicate and beautiful to me so when in being creative I get to explore that and try and make sense of it in a safe environment.
