ANNA LINDERSTAM

Anna Linderstam's work has become my main inspiration so far...

'The articulation of certain physical sensations is often out of reach of any satisfactory verbal explanation. We can know for ourselves how something feels in both the physical sense of touch and the emotional response to the experience. Our fingers will remember the softness of a piece of silk against the skin and our minds will be able to conjure up the memory of it but when attempting to verbalise this experience we fall short of its true meaning. Linderstam calls this the 'unfathomable'. That inexplicable something that originates in our experiences and sensations, but always lies out of reach of any meaningful verbal articulation. It is this 'unfathomable' that Linderstam seeks to give expression to through the language of photography.

When considering Linderstam's work the word that best describes her approach is control. The exacting nature of Linderstam's process in constructing her photographs enables her to contain everything she wants to express within the frame. Although using photography's recording properties to capture that moment of change, this is nto documentary work that relies on capturing what she might see before her. Pressing the shutter is only part of the process, for Linderstam the recording of a moment is about creating her own aesthetic, down to its smallest detail. From the construction of the space to the determining of the model's pose, restated throughout the arduous and lengthy sitting and finally to the presentation of the work in an exhibition, Linderstam imposes her will on it all.

In her quest to fidn such visual expression, Linderstam sets up manipulated circumstances, hypnosis, blindness or exhaustion, in whih she requests her sitters to engage in a pose or experience that will take the body from one physical and psychological state to another. It is at that very heightened moment of transition that is captured in the camera.

In these series The Lack of Sequence and Room 111.5: Mounted Laughter, which both consider the actual moment of collapse, the sittes hold a pose until their bodies are have succumed to exhaustion. The circumstance of the shoot are often intense and somewhat appressive. With no noise or converstation, the sitters hold their position, often for many hours which only the sound of the shutter as a photograph is taken and the occasional reminder from Linderstam for the sitter to keep still or to move a finger or arm to maintain the perfect position.

Linderstam constructs her images with painstaking care and research. Starting with her finished image in mind, she begins by testing all the scenarios herself, not wanting to inflict upon her sitter anthing she is not prepared to do herself. She sources her subject matter from her own nightmares and fears; losing her sight, becoming paralysed when asleep and fainting. Bought on by stress or extreme emotional conditions, as a teenager Linderstam would inexplicably lose conciousness.

Her spaces are constructed life size rooms, in which she places carpet, drapes, skirting boards and paints the walls. All are designed to create the illusion of a real room, but are subtly disrupted from reality. The result is to create an environment that is brooding and disturbing, somewhere that gives a sense rather than an actuality of reality, setting up a tension between the constructed and the real.' - Bridget Coaker - 1000 Words Photography Online Magazine

This complete control that is described as Linderstam's way of working is exactly what I want to explore, controlling every aspect of the photograph, focusing on the emotion and controlling which one I get. Her idea of using the same method for each person works so well. I need to create my own method but maybe try out a few before I find what works best for what I am trying to achieve and what doesn't. The effects of treating the subjects interests me too, experiencing their natural emotions when the whole process is over, will they be angry? confused? amused? we'll see.