Having read Sigmund Freud’s theories on the unconscious, I started thinking about how can I acknowledge what is suppressed within. I wanted to explore a distant childhood memory – the projected VHS video (2001) portrays a dance class led and filmed by my mother. I remember looking at the dancers, aspiring to be able to express myself the same way.
This work is about frustration and the struggle with expression. I am emulating the dance moves, trying to reclaim power and gain confidence. The choreography is interrupted by a double screaming portrait. The video plays on a loop and I walk in circles.
Next to the video, there are two assembled prints. They portray stills from the same tape. I included them because the distortions felt familiar. It felt the same as my recollections and feelings about that time.
The original VHS video had late 90s German techno playing in the background. At points, one can hear the dancers’ jumps matching the beat. I took this audio and added echoes and delays to make it overwhelming.

Static Retrospective was my final BA (Hons) Photography degree work.

BA Degree Show, New Adelphi, Salford University (May 2019 – June 2019)