Lauren Hamilton
Photography has an influential role in the world today because it is at the forefront of people's lives, accelerated by the quick and easy consumption of photographs taken on camera phones and circulated to allow people easy access to art, advertising and insight into other people’s lives. This is surveillance and it politicises our daily lives. We have a civic responsibility as photographers for how we represent difficult images and stories.
My photography gives me access to people and places so it carries special responsibilities when representing the vulnerable with respect and dignity. Preparatory research is critical. For me there is great potential for photography projects to be research in themselves. I like to evoke a sense of familiarity within my images while using juxtaposition to unsettle that feeling. Establishing a personal connection is important for my work and in addition to what is strictly required I photograph before and during a photoshoot. I enjoy creative collaboration. Empathy and observational skills matter more than ever given the flow of screen images in this digitally saturated world.
Between Breaths
My project takes inspiration from Carl Jung's Shadow Theory to explore the 'Other(s)' within oneself that are hidden inside. I investigate the duality of the anima and animus (light and dark, masculine and feminine). According to Jung, the unknown becomes known by bringing the inside out and the outside in. This project aims to communicate this individuation process and is divided into two parts: video and print. The video's sepia tone evokes a dark atmosphere set outside the realm of time. The print distinguishes itself from the moving image work through its alternative use of colour and vertical layout.