Rebels

Project Statement and Captions

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FBThM1ADLDKg3H40QKMMRONAmJXF091X/view?usp=sharing

Image 1: 

Evie. Standing on the shoulders of women who have come before me. 

Image 2:

Zali. There’s nothing more powerful than women who work together.

Image 3:

“Dreaming into the future. What do you want to be when you grow up? A doctor. An Artist.”

Image 4:

Girls just want fun(damental human rights)

Image 5:

 There’s still work to be done.

Image 6:

Ready for the challenges of tomorrow, but never forgetting the battles our Grandmas fought. “I hope we are making every woman to come before us; very, very proud.” “Me too.”

Image 7:

“Look at me! Take my photo!”

Image 8:

Sk8terboi

My photography is inspired by different meanings of what ‘Rebel’ is, represented by some of the people in my life. My rebels are: my strong Feminist best-friends, one 8-year-old boy who rebels and defies gender norms in his sisters dance costume (while loving it), and a fellow resident I live with; a friend who is ‘too cool for school’ in his skater-boy, rebel aesthetic with a nose piercing to match.

The majority of my Rebels’ inspired photography is focused on We Can Do It!or Rosie the Riveter, an American World War II wartime poster produced by J. Howard Miller in 1943. The poster was originally used as an inspirational image to boost female worker morale during WW2, but was popularized in the 1980s to promote feminism and other political issues. I chose We Can Do Itas inspiration because I wanted to develop a modern perspective on a classic socio-political artwork, but with an extra ‘behind the scenes’ element that opens a dialogue about the women of today and the opportunity we possess as multifaceted people. Capturing isolated moments of deep thinking, laughing, seriousness or a power pose, aims to expand the mind of the audience to view women – either past or present – as complex individuals, highlighting how far women have come since the 1940s. Completing this project, watching my feminist best friends bring a historical rebel, feminist character – like Rosie the Riveter – to life, only affirmed to me, the absolute need for more depictions of rebel women in our current climate of gender politics. Shooting primarily portraits allowed me to capture intimate and intense moments between the characters. 

The boy in the dancing costume is my best friend Zali’s little brother. When preparing for the main shoot, he came into the room – sequins and all – asking for his own photo to be taken. To me, the purity of having no fears or cares about what gendered clothes to wear sets him apart as his own type of rebel. George is not trying to be anyone but himself – comfortable in his own skin – unphased by bullies. In a time where kids his age all just want to blend in – this is a rebellious act to stand out. Lighting up and bringing focal point to George’s face emphasises the subjects’ cheeky, joyful and unashamed energy to present himself wearing traditionally female clothes. The use of colour and using contrast makes the subjects costume dazzle on camera.

The skater boy photograph represents to me what I see as a modern day male rebel. This teenager with his visible mood, nose piercing, circular glasses, oversized hoodie and ‘chilled out’ expression all plays into his attitude and aesthetic of rejecting society’s norms by not fitting in and trying not to. I see the ‘Skater boy’ as someone staying out late at the skatepark, graffitiing and smoking illegal substances. The classic ‘rock n roll’ pose adds to how the audience perceives the subjects’ rebellious character quality. He even posed like that without caring what it looked like. Using close-up for this portrait and flash photography with the contrast heightened intensifies the image for an easier read of who the character is. I like how the colour, vibrance and contrast plays into his ‘faded’, retro and teen angst vibe.

Ultimately, I’m very happy with how my photo series turned out and how I’ve documented my idea of Rebels.