NEXT 2016: Lamentation

I have created a space of contemplation in which my photographs live and serve as relics to mourn the loss of an intangible identity.  During the nineteenth century portrait photographers often provided the practice of photographing loved ones who have recently passed to help grieving families through the process of mourning. Through the depiction of myself as Madonna without her child, I am able to explore the themes of life, death and the strength of the maternal bond.  I rely on the physicality of the photographs to develop a personal relationship to the person I never met.

These images show the natural progression of Lamentation. I divided the work into two categories: In Utero and Post Partum.  I created a ritual for shooting. Once I set up all my lighting, I would read and write in my journal about the experience I had that inspired my thesis. I would emotionaly torture myself to capture the emotion I felt.