Maja Daniels was very interesting when she spoke about her work, something that I found most interesting was her project Monette and Mady, a long term portraiture project focusing on two identical twins, that Maja had lived next door to in Paris and has known for more than 10 years. Maja found the pair very interesting and wanted to know more about them. They are both dancers and have lived with each other all their lives. Maja said that they take great pride in their appearance, and are also very proud of being identical twins. Maja said that they refer to people who are not identical twins as ‘singular people’. The way in which people stared at Monette and Mady showed peoples fascination with the pair, however referring to non-identical people as ‘singular people’ shows their fascination with non-identical twins, as the gaze is turned around.
Maja continues to make this body of work to show the beauty and elegance of the twins, however she made a very interesting comment on the amount of information that the viewer is required to know. She said that she does not want the viewer to ask too many questions and to learn too much about the privacy of these individuals lives. Therefore, she made a moving image piece that she thought would answer questions but also keep the twins privicy. The piece is titled, My Other Half, and is an artful short film showing the twins dancing and interacting with each other, as well as having audio clips from interviews with the twins. The video is very successful in satisfying its audience with the visual beauty of the twins, which not exposing or exploiting their personal lives.
HTTP://MAJADANIELS.COM/NEWS/MY-OTHER-HALF/ MOVING IMAGE LINK.
PORTFOLIO REVIEW WITH MAJA DANIELS:
These are the photographs that I decided to show Maja, as they are about me and my siblings and the dynamic between the three of us, and her work on twins was very inspiring. The project is called Agnate, and I am trying to depict themes such as, loss of identity, control, discomfort and physical contact. I spoke to Maja about the these and then listened to her feedback on the photographs and advice on moving forward with the project.
Maja asked what the dynamic was like before and after the shoot, she said that if we have an awkward relationship then it is likely I am putting a lot of effort into making it non-awkward so that I can make the photographs, she suggested not doing that; letting it be awkward and seeing what kinds of images I can get with this type of atmosphere.
She also made a comment on the power dynamic, and how I am able to direct them into doing what I want because I become the photographer and not the little sister. Maja suggested I see how far I can push this power dynamic, and experiment with what I can get my brothers to do for the shoot.
The portfolio review gave me a lot to think about and I feel that the way in which Maja Daniels and I work is very similar. Durning the lecture somebody asked why each body of work she makes is shot in a different way, and she responded saying that she didn’t know, she photographs in a way that seams right for the work and doesn’t question the way in which she makes the photographs. I really respected this, as I can shoot in many different ways, I also feel that I don’t want to limit myself to a style or medium, as the work is always changing and developing, choosing a style that fits the work is very important. I found this very motivating, reassuring and inspiring.
phoebebowdige.photo.blog 