the rationale
The theme of the 11 photographs illustrated is dementia. The photographs explore various aspects of the condition based on extensive research which I have undertaken for this project.
As part of this work, I have researched into brain injuries and Agnosia, a term coined by Freud in his book Aphasia to describe recognition and perception disorders experienced by people diagnosed with dementia as well as those with brain injuries.
Four of the photographs depict objects which I have created using materials which are not normally associated with the objects concerned. I have also been influenced by surrealist objects. One piece of work which has especially influenced me is the furry teacup created by Meret Oppenheim and as such, one of my photographs depicts a teacup created using pieces of card from a cereal box. Another influence was Martin Parr, the photographer, who uses high colour saturation in his photography to produce photographs which seem boring at first glance but if you look closer they have a deeper, more profound meaning.
Two of the photographs depict objects in strange places to indicate how people with dementia often get confused by objects and hide and hoard things. The “hat in the fridge” photograph also depicts foods which may prevent the onset of dementia.
The photograph of the fruit pierced by pins illustrates the delusion of food being poisoned; a perception which is often experienced by those suffering from dementia. Consequently the victim will refuse to eat, often with severe and detrimental effects.
People suffering with dementia often have delusions and hallucinations. One of my photographs depicts two small wire men talking in front of the book Jackson’s Dilemma by Iris Murdoch. When the script of Murdoch’s final novel was analysed it was found to have far simpler word usage than all her previous twenty-five novels. Murdoch was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease shortly after the novel was published in 1995.
The photograph of the picture of the two girls with labels underneath depicts an image I once saw when visiting a nursing home which specialised in caring for people with dementia. Everything in the home needed to be labelled, including each item of the person’s clothing. This is why I have created an photograph of a jumper labelled with the name Auguste D, who was the first person to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, by Dr. Alois Alzheimer, over a hundred years ago.
The photograph of the whole kitchen is the central image and location for each of the photographs. This photograph has been manipulated to shift the focus onto each of the objects, and also attempt to depict some of the visual interference that people suffering from dementia may experience when viewing a scene.
Each of these photographs has been manipulated and fabricated as has much photography throughout history. There is no such thing as straight or pure photography, which is why I have not shied away from digitally manipulating these photographs. Dementia manipulates and fabricates images in the brain. Photography can do the same.
View the full response and slideshow of the 11 final images here.
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