Solemn Verses (Work-in-progress)
Project Overview
My areas of interest lie within identity studies, including femininity, religion, culture and heritage. Developing my project Solemn Verses, I aim to create an extensive photographic body of work researching the life and experiences of British Pakistani women and non binary people between the ages of 18-40, focusing on girlhood and adulthood. This is a subject area I feel strongly about researching, due to the lack of research studies, and positive media coverage on this particular community.
Stories of personal narratives are a key factor to the development of my project, which is where my sitters, (you!) come into the picture…
I’m looking to photograph inspiring British born Pakistani women and non binary people who are breaking down barriers, making changes in their lives, and focused on the future. This can be anything! Nothing is too small. I want to represent the underrepresented.
My final goal for the project is to produce a photographic body of work including a series of images, a photo essay, documentary video footage and an exhibition to launch my project.
Your involvement
I’d love to have your contribution to the project! Here is an over view;
A photo session in a location of your choosing, somewhere that represents you and you’re most comfortable in. I’ll be drawing influence from historic paintings, and playing around with colours, clothes, and textures. I want to represent your identity in the images. Whether that's choosing a location, wearing a certain garment or anything at all!
Share a story or an experience you’ve had that makes you who you are. There’s no pressure on what you chose to share. I want you to feel comfortable sharing stories of personal narratives/about yourself/life experiences/hopes/dreams/achievements/history/family… you name it! It’s completely up to you.
Write! Whatever you’re comfortable with sharing will be paired alongside your final portrait.
It’s most important to me that you are comfortable with all the work I create with your contribution, so only share what you’d like. There is no pressure and you can withdraw from the project at any given time. I’m not doing any of this to make money (there isn't any to make!) but to create art on a subject close to me.
Topics: (an idea on the types of thing you may want to share)
Family. Achievements. Politics. Trauma. Dreams. History. Childhood. Adulthood. Success. Community. You. Expectations. Desire. Romance. Health. Feminism. These are a list of some choices to get you started on a topic to draw from. It could be one or none of these (there's loads more I could include!). These are merely there to guide you into selecting a topic to write about and talk about with me.
There is no right or wrong with this project, I would simply like to create a body of work that represents a community of women who deserve some recognition, to tell their story, and for younger generations to have people to look up to.
What's in it for you:
Free photos!
Network with like-minded creatives
Involvement in a positive project
If this project sounds exciting to you, please reply to my email/message and let me know, so we can get started!
Thanks,
Alisha