Withdrawn (2019)
I attempt to make sense of an irrational world through my practice. The world truly is absurd. There is no objective truth or meaning in life; we all live by our own interpretation of what truth is. My personal understanding of truth guides my choices. I can pour my aching heart into something without receiving anything. To be an absurdist is to realise this dichotomy between finding meaning and the apparent inability to do so. Embracing life’s absurdity can be lonely.
The meaning that I search for exists through human connection. Withdrawn is the embodiment of this. My photographs express this longing for connection. The images of singular figures are self reflective of my solitude. They embody the lack of connection which my heart naturally yearns for. At times I am content to be alone with my thoughts, conveyed visually through people walking across a street or perhaps taking a break from work. This solitude gives me time to think and truly appreciate the beauty life holds, even when it pushes against myself.
Meditative moments between land and water are important for my solitary thoughts. Desolate buildings in deserts attract my affinity with space, quietness and reclusion. Photographing in colour gives a sense of ‘hope’. I enjoy the sun with a blue sky casting shadows from the trees. My heart throbs at a golden hour approaching twilight, particularly if the sky is lilac. Light gives life and is a mesmerising quality that extends meaning to my days.
This beauty in life reminds me that happiness is in reach even when I am feeling sorrowful. The photographs of couples further strengthen the longing for human connection when feeling lonely. Now more than ever do these intimate moments show the importance of human connection. Loneliness can be piercingly painful at times, but the greatest way to overcome it is through love. My photographs ultimately attempt to evoke compassion in and towards one another.
