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Rough Oddity
The twin mysteries of love and conflict…
My daughters are very comfortable being around me as I make images so they are able to act spontaneously in a studio setting, expressing genuine aspects of their sisterhood bond to each other. I’m drawn to the contradiction between the naturalness of their play and the artificiality of the studio in the quite garish and harsh light schemes that I've created. It reminds me of the contrast of the raw and pure Swedish forest landscape that I grew up in with access to the clearest night skies and at times saturated Nordic light scenes - the colours of summer and the bright electrical, outdoor lighting that we have to rely on through the long dark winters.
I want to make visible the twin mysteries of love and conflict and the sometimes odd ways in which these layers of life get jumbled together. I also want to comment visually on the valuable processes of learning and growth that the rough & tumble of children's play allows. The role-playing between the two girls is self-generated without any outside intervention. They were never directed or asked to pose.