Thematic Project Artist Statement/Discussion

“Saturday”

I want to explore the theme of childhood memories for my final thematic project. We all sometimes long for the days when we had no worries or real life problems, when the only thing that mattered was the amount of time you had left to play outside before mum called you in for dinner. I want to capture the true essence of childhood in this series of photographs, and in order to do that, I will be shooting from a child’s point of view, that is, looking up at objects. I want to evoke a sense of being by viewing the photographs from such an angle that you can envision your younger self through the lens.

With the stresses of Uni life and all the real world hurdles ahead, sometimes it’s comforting to think of being 6 years old again and having no concerns. It’s important for everyone to remember back to simpler times, and to realise that life does not stop moving just because things get difficult. You still keep getting older and wiser, and the only way to freeze time is in a photograph.

This project isn’t specific to place, but rather time. I want to capture one time period: childhood. Even though this time period is different for everyone, I want it to evoke the same feelings regardless. I want to play around with the editing and give the photographs a magenta touch with lower saturation, in order to display a vintage look.

This series of photographs is geared towards anyone that needs to take a step back and think of a simpler time. This could be a Uni student that is stressed out about exams, or a middle aged businessman that is wondering how he got to this point in his life. I want my photographs to evoke a sense of calmness in people and help them remember that time passes, through the good and the bad, and that we are constantly growing.

Research:

Deborah Parkin uses her children as inspiration for her photographs. Her project, “Memory,” is shot in black and white and portrays characteristics of childhood. I particularly like the image of the wooden doll on the floor with the girl in the background walking away. It’s powerful to see the object focused with the girl walking away in the background. To me, this symbolizes the child leaving her childhood behind and abandoning her innocence to enter adulthood. I want to show this transition in my work as well.