I wish I was famous
So much for the afterglow
I WISH I WAS FAMOUS | 2005
This series explores the blend between dreams and the mundane. Living a perfect life in one so fake in it’s intention and the photographic make-believe. The aim was to keep the images entrenched in the more natural and documentary style of photography. In this context the staging was minimal, the fashion belonged to the actors and the suburban locations chosen based on availability not aesthetics.
Critical to the idea was to explore the reality of celebrity in a domestic environment and lives lived behind closed doors. The performances were designed to explore the enormity and sadness that comes from being overwhelmed with images that tell us to live, act, dress a certain way. This is contrasted by the ‘reality’ of their environments, displayed as they were found, not styled or art directed. The actors were in their own clothes, again not prescribing to the vision of beauty and fame, as seen in magazines. The actors were asked to imagine what their life would be like if they were famous, and perform as if they had failed in delivering on this promise. In this context they were asked to explore this narrative through the activity of domestic tasks.
Take or leave it I just don’t even bother
I thought this was happiness
