(12 August 2011... the last time I blogged. I do apologise! On a further note however, it is one of my new year's resolutions to blog at least 3 times a week!)
Over the Christmas holidays I lovingly purchased 4 Angela Carter novels in the hope that by reading them, they will fuel my imagination. Back in the day, fairytales were used and known to force morals into the minds of young children. These are not the kind of fairytales Carter writes however, she creates stories which explore male sexual desires, articulates feminist ideas and subverts the traditional roles of fairytale women. I'm not interested, however, in her perspectives on politics, society and aesthetics, and her attempts to redefine the fairy tale blah blah blahhhhhhhhhh. As interesting as it is, I have to say, I'm more interested in the mystical worlds she creates and her magical characters and objects which fittingly blend in with the real world. She is my muse when thinking of new ideas for my next shoots. Her words never fail to conjure enchanting images in my mind. After reading an Angela Carter novel, I like to play on the juxtaposition of the real and the fantastic to create strange, beautiful and liminal worlds in my images.
I don't want to photograph realism. Realism is boring to me. I want to photograph things which do not exist and belong to another world or another era. This is also leads me to my other muse of the 1920s - 1950s. I don't want to photograph the modern world because, quite frankly, I'm not inspired by the modern world. I prefer the world we have left behind. The world which no longer exists. Looking back at vintage photographs, I am captivated by the pure elegance and romance which emanates from them.
