Discomfort - A 21st Century Experience

Fatima was an inspiration for me this summer (Summer 2018). She was at once both private and uniquely talkative; she spoke openly about her trials and tribulations as a black female model working in both British and European settings. I felt that she enjoyed sharing her stories with someone new to her world, unbiased and unversed in the intricacies and difficulties of being a freelance model. In getting to know her and speaking to her about her work, she opened up to me about her experiences whilst working in Vienna, about how she was judged and treated for being 'different' and 'other', which was both surprising and deeply upsetting to me - especially considering that Vienna is supposedly one of the cultural capitals of the world. Upon hearing of her experiences, I decided to create two series of images with my primary collaborator. The first as an in-depth exploration of femininity and race in an urban setting. The second in colour on 35mm film, as a juxtaposition to the first, the lived experience of a model in personal and intimate environments.