The self-portrait on the left is where my explorative practice started. It was an experiment, involving a single long exposure, flash, good timing, and colour inversion in post processing. The exploration started as I saw my first attempts on the back screen of the camera, realizing that this two-in-one image represented something that I’d long described myself by "I seem different if you look at me from the side": the way I come accross as you look at me conventionally, straight on, is not the way I come accross if you catch me unawares, from the side. I see this literally and figuratively not just in myself but in many others - our lives and experiences contain many aspects which aren't always immediately seen, but are there nonetheless. How we present to the world depends on which "self" we want to present at that time, to that audience, in that setting.
Since starting my MA in photography at Falmouth University, I am diving more deeply into this topic, starting with 'Sona which presents the dichotomy between the persons and the fursona of fans of anthropomorphic art - furries - in a single image, physically weaving together photographs of the person in everyday gear and in a representation of their chosen alter-ego.
My current work delves into this idea of performing the self on a more personal level.
My background is varied - perhaps one of the reasons the idea of "multiple subselves" (to borrow a term from psychologist David Lester) or "scanners" (Barbara Sher) resonates with me. I originally come from the north-east of England and now live close to Vienna, Austria, and have previously lived near Los Angeles. When I'm not taking photographs, I work as a manager in the steel industry, but at other times I have also worked as a technical translator or classical singer. My first degree is in Materials Science, my second in Economic and Organizational Psychology, and between those I also did a diploma in music.