I took these photos on a camping holiday in March 2009 and I haven’t looked at them since then. I want to share them here because I don’t see them belonging anywhere in the “art” world, and yet I feel somewhat attached to the imagery. I was very much inside my own head when I took these- my body was cold, my hands and back were stiff, and I was alone. I was hanging out in the bathroom because I wanted to stay warm. I’ve always been both attracted and repelled by my own image in mirrors. All of a sudden, the placement of the mirrors and the set up in the room caught my attention. I grabbed my camera and began recording the moment.
I’ve loosely labelled the series “Disjointed” because when I look at them I see my body in sections, as parts that I carry around with me and am not very comfortable in. I wanted to record the feeling of being inside my body in a way that would allow the viewer to feel what I was feeling in my own skin. I’m not sure this was successful.
I’m really a black and white traditional film kind of artist (for other examples of my work see www.dianearcher.co.uk), but lately I have been relying on a small digital camera that I keep on me at all times. I see colour film as a yellowed gritty reproduction of life- unlike the nostalgic affect of black and white. I have corrected the yellowness before with Photoshop but somehow I’ve never liked the change. It feels like I’m removing something essential that says- “hey, I’m a photo that was snapped in this moment and instead of leaving it be I am making it polished and perfect for show in a white-walled gallery.” But that’s just me being difficult.
In the struggle to get shows and develop an artistic career, it’s sometimes hard to figure out what the best way forward is. Hopefully this b-log will help Nadja on its path to the future.
