2016 winner

Martha came in to my life at the age of 7 years. After out first encounter she left in her fathers white campervan. The rain was pouring down and her face was pressed against the window, staring at me through the cold glass. It felt as though our lives had collided ‘again’ somehow. Through the process of working together in this series so far, we have journeyed into each others psychological landscapes as we explore what our relationship means. We both mirror each others maternal wounding, both our mothers loved us but were felt as absent, this became the common ground to move forward from. this became the common ground to move forward from.

At the beginning of the project I was photographing predominately in the domestic space; but then, over time I was increasingly working in a world which teenagers inhabit and adults do not, their parties, friends bedrooms, gatherings and so on. So, essential to the work has been calibrating the mother/photographer roles – gaining trust, knowing when I’m being invasive, being given permission both literally and on a more subtle, energetic level.

So, whilst this project is about growing up, individuating and becoming an adult it is more importantly concerning a particular point in time when you have child and adult in the same body, which is why it’s such a complex and potentially confusing time. During this period of transition there is a very short and specific ‘window’ when a person can behave in a way which is free of the weight of societal expectations and norms. Before long the window closes and we can forget how it felt to be ‘untethered’.