In this body of work I have been looking at the mythical cliché of the typical ‘safe’ middle-class suburban family unit, which is something that I take issue with. This can be witnessed in family photograph albums, where the ‘happy’ family is presented, to the feel good films and TV shows of the 50’s and 60’s that I grew up with. Here middle class values abound, we are presented with a reality, which for many (particularly children) does not exist, but which we are persuaded is the aspired to ‘norm’.
This collection of images are exploring issues related to this, back lighting helps to seduce the viewer, drawing the gaze into the world of a child. The intense colour and unusual focus is alluding to a child’s intense scrutiny, where the most microscopic object has huge resonances. The vignette, which surrounds each transparency, is designed to draw the eye deeper into the image, and in doing so to engage the viewer in the debate held there in.
It is my hope that these images create an atmosphere where the premise of the ‘safe’ middleclass family unit can be challenged, contested and finally subverted.