IN THE FRAME
Hannah
“Inspired by cinema, painting and poetry, these photographs are from my new series “Hannah” and aim to convey a sense of the subject’s internal dialogue, visually capturing the unseen and intimate everyday moments which every life contains.
The series could be said to be a film of Hannah’s everyday life made through still photographs, away from the view and expectations of an audience. Each scene is a reflection of our own internal worlds, expressed through Hannah’s presence in her own world, on her own stage. Alone in a room surrounded by a city, and by thousands of unseen people, the cityscape becomes her backdrop.
I approached this work in a similar manner to that of a film director, by shaping a series of scenes within a film to delineate a story and emotional journey. A rhythm, feeling and intention is harnessed and focused on; moments are hooked in time. Working as Lenny Abrahamson’s set-photographer on his acclaimed series Normal People and Conversations With Friends was an important inspiration for “Hannah”, marrying the cinematic process with my own photographic process, thereby shaping my approach to this work.
The photographs are lifted from a visual physical recording of time, capturing a synchronicity of understanding between subject and photographer, both parties focused on the presence and feelings contained within the room. Within each lifted frame, we are party to glimpses of an imagined reality and emotional journey through changing feelings, days, light and seasons.”
Words and Image: Enda Bowe
Hannah is at the RHA until October 1.
