Samuel Hipkiss
samuelmhipkissphotography.wordpress.com
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Emotional Barriers
The human condition is "the characteristics, key events, and situations which compose the essentials of human existence, such as birth, growth, emotionality, aspiration, conflict, and mortality."
This body of work is a deeply personal pursuit that ponders, analyses and portrays the emotional barriers which I have constructed around myself; to conceal from others, the scars of my life’s continuing journey.
Emotions, are an affective state of consciousness in which we experience a range of feelings; some causing us hurt. We all build emotional barriers to protect, preserve, and defend ourselves from potential hurt.
The inspiration for this project evolved from news reports surrounding Donald Trump and the fortification of the border wall between America and Mexico. It raised questions in my mind about the impact of physical barriers on communities and individuals. I began to focus on division, which in turn provoked thoughts about personal interactions and the way we ‘shut down’ following painful experiences. I wanted to capture and symbolically represent the emotional barriers that are unique to an individual’s character and growth.
Portrait photography is a lucrative and well documented subject capturing human emotion. Photographer, Jill Greenberg who produced a controversial portrait series, in 2006, of crying children, bares the closest photographic relationship to my objective. I turned instead for inspiration to familiar works of art, which offered themselves up to fresh interpretation, because of my altered perception. ‘The Scream’ by Edward Munch became crucial inspiration for the composition and format of my photographic work. I saw a depiction of the inner turmoil that grows from locked in emotions, from the internal barriers we raise, hiding ourselves from the watching world. Conversely, ‘The creation of Adam’ by Michelangelo spoke of the connection we can experience with other people. I saw an opportunity to use ‘gestures’ to express bridging as well as building emotional barriers.
Through my photographic commentary, I have concluded that emotional barriers impede a person’s ability to deliver a clear message or a receiver’s ability to hear a message effectively. Common emotions such as anger, love, joy, frustration, disappointment and sadness can all create emotional barriers that negatively affect communication, leading to misunderstanding and isolation. Overcoming those emotional barriers which impede out ability to lead full and productive lives can be a simple fix or require professional intervention. We have a responsibility to ourselves and to humanity to be the best that we can be.
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