THE UNPOLISHED SELF
This project explores the unpolished self, and the pressures women face to always appear perfect.
Using photography combined with embroidery and beading, the work contrasts society’s ideal image of women with a more authentic and imperfect reality and challenges traditional expectations of femininity. A survey carried out as part of the Dove self-esteem project shows a strong correlation between concepts of beauty and confidence, with 70% of young females believing that beauty is important to feeling happy.
The work explores identity, self-acceptance, and the courage it takes to embrace imperfections, encouraging viewers to see value in who they are.
www.aliciaflynn.net
THE UNTOUCHED MUSE
This series explores natural beauty and authentic representation in fashion photography. Inspired by the work of Peter Lindbergh, the images use minimal retouching, natural light, and simple styling to celebrate individuality. The project challenges conventional beauty standards by focusing on genuine expression and personality rather than perfection.
Website Address: https://lillyestcourt.portfoliobox.net/
Modern Youth – identity & self-expression
This project explores the construction and performance of identity through fashion, self-expression, and visual presentation. Focusing on the idea that identity is fluid, curated, and constantly evolving, this fashion work combines cinematic, editorial-style imagery with symbolic domestic environments to represent tensions in adolescent emotional states and aspects of contemporary youth culture. While initially centred on fashion and visual aesthetics, the project developed into a deeper exploration of the complex and changing identities in female adolescence, and the insecurities, vulnerability, and performance that is found in the tension between childhood and adulthood.
Website Address: https://www.kimoraleebeckford.com
CONSTRUCTED IDENTITY
This project explores the layered nature of identity and how it is shaped by culture. Identity is never fixed, and is formed through overlapping influences, from family traditions, memories and personal backgrounds, making every individual unique. By exploring these themes through photography and collage, the work welcomes viewers to reflect on their own background and consider how their past and culture contribute to who they are today.
Website Address: https://www.danielaoliveira.page
MIND GAMES
This project is a reflection on ageing, but it also acts as a celebration of living a life of love and care. It explores the stories, characters and experiences of an elderly community in Barnet and focusses on the resilience and optimistic perspectives they have.
The support and care found within the community centre depicted in this project helps to slow cognitive decline and reduces loneliness amongst the people who visit, and this shows us that, however we may feel about the prospect of aging, it is he quality of our lives and the relationships we have that make us who we are.
Website Address: https://www.juliaschizas.com/
FADING FOOTSTEPS
This project is inspired by the Pictorialism movement in Victorian photography and uses soft blur, long exposure times, filters, and colour tints to make the photographs seem more painterly. All these editing processes were designed to replicate the look of the photographs from the Pictorialism movement who wanted their images to look more like paintings and etchings.
The work has been produced for display in a cemetery chapel, and to respect the client’s needs an important objective has been to create a set of images that are peaceful, calm, and yet ethereal and atmospheric.
Website Address: https://www.rubymayphotography.org
HOME IS THE SKATEPARK
This project explores the male community in skateboarding. For those on the outside it might just look like a sport, but it is so much more to the boys and men who take part. To them, it is about the friendships they build and the new conversations that grow. Skateboarding is heavily male dominated and is perceived as merely a hobby that could be useless, but it is an essential pastime that helps support men with their mental health through the community and companionship they build.
Website Address: elakaradogan.com
MEMORY
This project explores the theme of memory and how memories can change, fade and become distorted over time. Rather than presenting memories as fixed moments, the work reflects the idea that memories are not permanent and can be influenced by emotions and experiences.
Through the use of layered imagery, cyanotypes on fabric and video projection, the project creates a sense of memories overlapping, fading and reappearing. The movement of projected images and the textured surfaces of the fabrics help communicate the uncertainty of remembering, encouraging viewers to reflect on how their own memories change over time.
Website Address: https://www.kittyfairhead.com/
BLOODLINE
This narrative detective noir piece focuses on the corruption of a soon to be future London and how one good man will decide to tackle its issues, the right way or the wrong way.
A detective called Jackson Holden hunts down a serial killer in a corrupt society with his narration throughout the whole film, which communicates the character’s feelings and emotions in relation to the events taking place. Throughout this piece Jackson is faced with the dilemma of making a difference and setting aside his morality to do something evil for the purpose of fighting corruption or continue to work by the book and not make a change at all.
IMPERFECT PERFECT
This project explores how beauty standards can shape a young woman’s sense of self-worth and identity. It explores how social expectations can encourage people to hide their true selves behind a polished mask. Using studio portraits and photoshop overlay masks, the work creates an illusion of a mask covering the models face representing the lengths we go to in order to transform the way we appear to others. The black and white aspect of the images represent the polished and perfected side the model wants the world to see; the coloured hand overlays act as if the perfected mask is tearing itself away and uncovering a woman’s true colours.
Website Address: https://www.ameliagale.com
PICTURE PERFECT
This project explores the pressure to conform in modern society, particularly through the influence of social media. It examines how online platforms can shape perceptions of beauty, identity and acceptance by often encouraging people to look, dress and behave in a certain way to fit in. this project also considers how negative judgement towards those who appear different can affect self-confidence and create unrealistic expectations. The work aims to challenge the idea that everyone must conform to the same standards. It also helps encourage viewers to embrace their individuality and recognise that perfection is neither realistic nor necessary.
Website Address: https://www.laurenfung.com
