Resonance 2024

These photographs were created as part of a collaboration project during my second year. Working alongside five other photographers we created 'Resonance', an exhibition about what music means to people in our generation. Individually we created a series of images with our subjects exploring their music tastes. We brought our work together after four weeks in an exhibition which combined visuals with audio. Each series of images was displayed alongside a QR code which took the viewer to the song (on YouTube) which each photograph was based on. The exhibition was advertised as immersive and it was advised to bring headphones. I worked with Daisy, who described a her taste as wide ranging and genre spanning. She has a particular love for artists such as The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac and recently Fontaines D.C. Song: Aline by Christophe, 1965. (inspired shots 1 - 9) Aline is a song which Diasy (the model) connects to deeply. Daisy describes the song as nostalgic but uplifting. It transports her back to the places in her hometown that she would walk around and the friendships she had. Reminding her of the time she spent at art college when she was 16 and 17. Asking her to reminisce about her teenage years and the time when she began to find herself. The sentiment behind Aline feels bittersweet, as the lyrics speak in beautiful metaphors but always return to the pain of longing for someone who has left. “Je me suis assis auprès de son âme. Mais la belle dame s'était enfuie” Translated this means “I sat with her soul. But the beautiful lady had fled”. That longing for someone who has left can also apply to the feeling of missing who you were before. The series explores finding peace within solitude, calm within longing, and beauty within stillness. For Daisy, Aline also brings to mind the soundtrack from film ‘Amélie’ by Yann Tiersen, which her parents would play in the car while she drifted off to sleep. The music reminds her of that slow time of day in the evening. Influenced both by the music and Daisy’s words together we planned to photograph around our local area of Selly Oak. The shots both in subject and lighting were inspired by stills from Amélie. Song: Ruby Tuesday by Melanie, 1970. (Rolling Stones cover). (Inspired shots 10 to 12) Daisy (the model) describes the song Ruby Tuesday by Melanie (Rolling Stones cover) as sacred to her. It reminds her of her grandparents and their house on the Isle of Arran in Scottland. She recalls conversations she would have with her granny when she was around 8 years old. The song would often be playing as they drove down the track leading away from her grandparents’ house and so she is transported back to these moments of watching the fields and trees go by. Whenever she hears the song, she thinks of her granny. It is very tender and special to her. The song speaks of a girl who is a mystery, always moving, always free and chasing her dreams. “She would never say where she came from Yesterday don't matter if it's gone While the sun is bright, or in the darkest night No one knows, she comes and goes” Inspired by the music and Daisy’s words we decided to photograph at night using colourful lights to reflect the feelings of freedom and movement implied through the song. Another band that Daisy and I enjoy is Wolf Alice, who we listened to during this shoot. Their music videos were key creative inspiration during this photographic series.