After speaking with various tutors, reading Prophecy Coles Sibling Relationships and having a portfolio review from Maja Daniels I decided to do a shoot with my oldest brother Rowan, just the two of us, to see how far I could go with him in the photographs. I was also inspired by Pixy Liao and her use of visually representing the power dynamic in her relationship with her boyfriend. I feel that the techniques she used were very inspiring for what I decided to do, such as getting Rowan to wear a dress.
The whole body of work originated because I was reflecting on aspects of my relationships with Rowan and Jack through feelings of hurt, rejection, and difficulty in our past experiences. When I begun making the photographs, there were very awkward and tense atmospheres in the shoots, and the work then reflected these feelings. These issues are still present, and a lot of the work is an accurate representation of control of older siblings and the uncomfortable forced physical contact between us. However, on a personal level, myself and Rowans relationship through the work has had an unexpected development. While issues have not been addressed directly, the work slowly showed me how much both of my brothers were doing for me when I made photographs with them, they were getting up at sunrise, travelling to the beach, hugging each other and hugging me. Sometimes after shooting I would feel shocked at how much they were doing for me, and how little they asked questions about what I was doing. I have have conversations about this with people, (tutors/ Maja Daniels) and decided to shoot this work for my research, but also as a confirmation of the difference in the dynamic between myself and Rowan.
The power that the camera has given me has been an eye opener, the way in which I become the leader of the situation able to direct the boys to do what I want, and they oblige, fundamentally, because they love me, and they want to help. While it has not been easy organising the shoots, these images represent the progression of our relationship that has been directly influenced by the process of making the work.
I decided to shoot with just Rowan, not only because our relationship was originally the most strained and has changed the most, but also because it was just me and him, and without another sibling being there, it was a much more honest and real representation of how we work together. The first selection of images were made in public, and Rowan got semi-naked in the street. The second were made in public, and he wore the dress, no questions as to why I was asking him to do this.
I feel that these images are not suitable to be used further, and were more as a final representation of a relationship dynamic that has developed as the work has. The work became so much more than a depiction of issues as the process became one of the most important elements.
phoebebowdige.photo.blog 