Domestic Life

Digital image/print (2024)

These photographs relate to the theme of 'Domestic Life' due to the space and the subject. The first 100 or so pictures are taken at my apartment, from the living room and bedroom. The subject of all these photos is my childhood friend, Lucy, who used to come over to study and do homework with me sometimes, though she has a tendency to get distracted with things more interesting than our work and even falls asleep. I (with her permission) took pictures of her doing those natural things between working: eating, fixing her hair, laying down/resting, spacing out, messing with my old camera shells, on her phone. None of these photos are posed, and I hoped to highlight the natural movements and actions that she goes through on a typical night of studying and hanging out.

My inspiration for this theme and style of photography come from Chapter 5 of “Digital Photography: A Basic Manual.” Specifically the works Shikijyo Sexual Desire by Nobuyoshi Araki and Nicole by Elle Perez. While the sexual ideas from Araki’s work are not the goal here, I liked the idea of ‘casual posing’ that I got from the photo. Perez’ work was more in line with the ideas behind the images, “human intimacy" and a “transient way of life.”