Ophelia

Taking inspiration from the Millais painting of the same name, this image explores the symbolic use of flowers to represent the tragic death of Ophelia in Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet. The flowers are floating above reflections of the graffiti that is prevalent along the industrial bank of Leeds canal, placing the timeless story of Ophelia within a post-industrial landscape for a new generation of viewers. The flowers, associated with Ophelia through her iconic speech, where she hands each character a flower before her death, represent delicacy and transience. This is juxtaposed in this image by the harshness of the modern post-industrial setting. This image both mourns the loss of Ophelia and the loss of an evanescent natural world, capturing a final moment of stillness and acting as a requiem for delicacy and gentleness that are becoming engulfed by the modern world.