I am as I am
My practical bachelor’s thesis at the Institute of Creative Photography (ITF) in 2013:
Photographing myself helps me gain the necessary peace and perspective in situations when I need it. When I deal with things, people, events that I don’t understand, that make me unhappy or force me to make decisions. When I stand at the crossroads, I reflect, remember, and evaluate. In these moments, only my shadow, a cat, and the four walls of my home accompany me.
The photograph of Elen sitting in a chair, where sunlight casts shadows of window curtains, has a great narrative value for me. I observe the grace of her legs, the curve of her chest, sagging shoulders, and long fingers on her hands. I ask myself, what all could have happened?
Beneath the flowing hair, we identify a face with closed eyes, a hand pressed to the face, clutching the billowing fur. The seated figure is turned away from the camera, delineating a barrier to communication between the viewer and the self. To accurately decipher what is seen, we could touch upon Freudian theories as well as contemporary analyses, helping to find one’s own anchoring in the multilayeredness of modern society. Elen Halická’s work is distant from theatrical, repetitive play; it is more about the minor tones of one’s own doubts.
The work was graded Excellent (A) in both cases.
For more photographs from this series, see here.
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My Photographic Diary – Astrid Art
May 14, 2024 at 9:59 am[…] Selected photographs from this series, as part of the bachelor’s thesis, are here. […]