Lacrimosa
I seek to portray the things I feel during a stage of depression and disassociation. To prepare for this, I ran a bath and proceeded to lay down in the water and take self portraits. This became a sort of therapy in forcing myself to go through these emotions while photographing myself, seeing myself, weaving in and out of a sort of focused consciousness. The images exude a religious presence. Though I am not religious myself, I am spiritual and would consider this act to be a religious one. This is why I have arranged the pieces to appear as an altarpiece. In disassociating, you fall in and out of awareness. As a defense mechanism, your brain shifts into autopilot and gets you through whatever you are too upset about to face directly. The images incorporate eyes looking up in helplessness as well as looking into the camera with a glazed look, which represent the two things I feel most when caught up in disassociating and depression.
Emma Stratton, Lacrimosa , 2016, digital fine art, Epson premium luster paper, 8.5”x11” and 20”x24”.
2017 , accepted into Bridgewater State University’s 53rd Annual Student Exhibition.
