CREATIVE SOLUTIONS SPECIALIST / ARTIST / EDUCATOR
Photo Series: The Discovery of Alice
Posted 17th October 2015
The story
Once upon a time, there was a girl called Alice. She lived in a world of repression, hidden away in the corners of the wonderland surrounding her.

Alice's true self was masked in a bid to guard herself against the hearts and minds of those cruel in the world. All the while she rushed from day to day to maintain pace against an ever ticking clock.

Please click the thumbnails below to view:
The concept
This series was based upon a theme of "Alice in wonderland" as a basis for portraying concepts of repression, control, and transformation that many people experience in society. For instance the cards that chase Alice in the classic tale, are symbolic here of the control that other people's hearts (their belief/passion) can have on our own lives.

A real current world example that inspired me, is the "free the nipple campaign". With many questioning why a female nipple should be so taboo for display in public, whilst a male nipple is quite acceptable. With the only real difference being the joint hearts and minds of others that determine one to be different than the other.

The idea of repression and then consequent growth into one's true character, is a journey that most consider and experience during their lifetime. Represented in the project as the "Elixir of self", it depicts those singular moments that leave us truly transformed/enlightened as if we have become a new person. A style choice was evoked from the wizard of oz, by literally moving from black and white into colour for the transformation.

The final element represented within the series is that of time. Quite often people can have very different perceptions of time that can either free them, or constrain them. Every minute of every day is a chance for us to live, to experience, to improve. If we keep watching the clock, but never act then time can be one of our great enemies.

Model credit: Gracieuxlove