Peaches & Cream Winner: Laura Thompson
Laura Thompson is this years Peaches and Cream winner! In her series Senseless, Thomspon has created her own mythological creatures out of everyday objects, such as air fresheners and mirrors to convey senses, that we, as humans have, but tend to ignore.
Thompson explores how as humans, our consumption of modern technology has dulled our innate senses of what is around us, and caused us to disconnect from our world.
From observations and research into myths and legends, Thompson takes us into a world between humanity and what is real, and what could become of us.
First of all, Congratulations! How does it feel having your work recognised in this way?
Thank you, it feels great! I feel very honoured to have been chosen, especially after seeing the competition I was up against. It must have been a very difficult decision for the judges to make.
Could you tell us a bit about yourself and your history with photography?
My history with photography probably began since I was a little kid as my dad is an avid amateur photographer and camera collector. In earnest though, I’d say my interest really piqued near the end of high school when I got my first digital camera. The concept that I could essentially take as many photos as I wanted and see the results immediately was eye opening to me. This opened up the idea of experimenting and not being worried if it didn’t come out properly. Even still when I photograph digitally, I usually end up taking hundreds of shots a session (this is one of the reasons I like film, too many opportunities can be overwhelming!). I ended up first getting a degree in international relations and business management at the University of St. Andrews as I wanted to be practical, but soon realised neither of those worlds were for me and that I wanted to do something more creative. I already had a portfolio of work I had made in my free time, so applied and got accepted to do a postgraduate diploma photography course at the London College of Communication, and went on soon after that to get my full master of design in communication design (with a focus in photography) at the Glasgow School of Art.
Can you explain how you came about the idea of your project senseless?
I first came up with this visual of someone covered in an object to the point it hindered them, and from there narratively it went in different directions – more towards the senses at first, and then towards the environment and mythology. I struggled for quite some time trying to figure out the narrative and purpose behind the creatures. I finally found a way of incorporating the three together when I discovered that studies had been done on how mythology and environment can affect one’s senses (the one in particular that gave me the ‘aha’ moment was about an Amazonian tribe that could see Venus in the daytime, an ability our own culture once had, which can be found in in Levi-Strauss’ book Myth and Meaning).
Senseless was quite a large body of work, how did you cut it down to your select few? Was it a difficult process?
Editing down a project is usually one of the hardest parts for me, but large format really helps to take that step out as you have such a limited amount of film to use. Because of this, most of the editing takes place before the shoot in your head or in your journal. It then comes down to what ideas are most practical and what locations are available to you.
Your series explores the dulled senses of human nature due to our relationship with technology. Do you think this series could grow even further as technology grows around us?
I think the concept behind the project would maybe become more obvious or topical, but unless new technology really starts to alter our senses in ways it hasn’t in the past (and it quite possibly could) I think it would hold up as it is now. This isn’t to say the series won’t grow, just that the core concept would probably stay the same unless something drastic happens.
You said mythological tales and urban legends inspired you in making this series.
Did any photographers inspire you along the way in how you made them?
Definitely! Some that immediately come to mind are Sandy Skoglund, especially her work The Cocktail Party was a catalyst aesthetically when I was first coming up with the project and you can see most obviously with the earplug outfit. Karoline Hjorth and Ritta Ikonen’s Eyes as Big as Plates series is another that really intertwines mythology and constructed outfits in a really beautiful way. Nick Cave’s Soundsuits are also very cool and shows how constructed outfits, our senses (in this case sound) and performance art can come together and highlight each aspect both individually and as a whole.
Is there any mythological tale or urban legend that stood out to you the most for the creation of this series?
The one that was most influential to this series was Bigfoot.
You incorporate stunning landscapes with a style of portraiture in these photographs. Is there one medium you prefer shooting to the other?
In regards to landscape vs. portrait, I find portraiture more difficult mainly because of posing, and having to find someone that fits into your parameters and is willing to pose for you. I think my portraiture shots come out better, but landscape and still life are definitely more in my comfort zone.
This series is shot on a beautiful 5x4 large format analogue camera. Do you prefer to shoot film? What was your reasoning behind this?
Thanks! There are pros and cons when it comes to shooting film (especially large format). As I discussed earlier, when I shoot digital, I tend to shoot quantity over quality, just because I have that ability. With film, and especially large format, it really forces you to think and take time to compose before you shoot, not only because each shot costs money and you only have a finite amount of them, but it also takes a lot more time setting up the shot as well. This project was my first foray into shooting large format film and the learning curve was pretty steep in the beginning, with each shoot taking several hours.
I decided on large format for the project both so that I could make very large prints without losing quality, and because in a way I felt going back to using analogue, old-school methods in the face of digital, technological advancements in photography in a way mirrored what the creatures were trying to do in going back to nature from the manmade.
By creating narratives for theses ‘creatures’ would you say your photographs evoke the feelings of loneliness or any other feelings in particular?
I hope it does! When creating the images I was trying to create a mixture of humour and sadness. Humour coming from the absurdity of the situation – such as seeing someone covered in air fresheners in the middle of the forest, and sadness coming soon after, once the understanding behind the situation is realized. The same can be said for, loneliness in this super connected world – the humor in the irony of it followed by the sadness of its reality and the fact that you can relate to it.
Do you have a favourite ‘creature from your collection?
Haha I have different favourites for different reasons! I love how the mirror suit came out and images I created with it. On the practical side however, it’s a nightmare to work with – the glass mirrors break easily and make the outfit so heavy I can barely carry it, and instead have to use a rolling suitcase to transport it. The vinyl glove one was my favourite to work with in this sense, it is the lightest to transport and wear and although they would fall off constantly, they never cut you. It was also the quickest to make. The air freshener one is also quite light, but smelled absolutely awful (I wore masks making it, as did the model when shooting, but the smell always ended up getting through) and also fell apart constantly. The earplug outfit was the best in this aspect, along with being soft and the ability to see in it was the best, but took by far the longest to make. The fork outfit was also quite durable, but the ends could be a bit sharp when putting it on. I suppose my final answer would be: mirror outfit visually, earplug outfit for shooting on location, and glove outfit for making and wearing.
Having studied and developed this series of photographs about human interaction, have you found yourself more aware of your senses and connection with the world?
I learned a lot from this project and it’s definitely shone light on subjects I hadn’t really given much thought to before. It’s given me a new perspective on how we perceive things both physically and culturally, and it’s not as set in stone as I once thought it was.
What photography projects are next in the mix for you?
I’m still trying to figure that out! I’ve created some new video work with one of the outfits that’s a bit different from the rest of this project, but came out really awesome. I also have been doing some still life work that is related to the themes in this project and feel would exist in the Senseless mythos. With these though I need to figure out how it actually fits with the rest of the project, or if it should be its own thing, just with similar themes. I also have some ideas for installations that would take some of the concepts in a different direction, but that would all be in the distant future if it ever happens!
See more of Laura's work here:
