honorable mention
nicole oliver united kingdom
title
fairytales
realised and further understood a new perspective to the fairytales I grew up reading and the lessons
society has absorbed from them. I have realised the importance of the young, white, male and able bodied, knight in shining armour and the underlying classist, sexist, homophobic and racist structure of the majority. The use of exhibiting mythical creatures adheres to impossible standards placed upon the beauty and intellect of women, further feeding into the overbearing patriarchal societal structures. The fantasy in which is imposed through the fictional creation of the stories bleed into the expectations of reality, in particular those placed upon women and mirrors the harmful effects of media. Viewers may acknowledge that fairytales implement teachings indicating the worth of a female is dependant not on their actions but their inaction, to be dependant on a man, to be still and
idle, to not be an individual with independent thoughts and values.
Only the core visual elements of these storybooks are imitated, leaving the old standard of the narrative and challenging it to create a political and personal fairytale that adheres to realistic expectations of women and their experiences of coming of age. The discourse in which this collection resides takes direct vision of a feminine perspective devoid of male focus, politically discreet and muted in which to mirror the state of the true female representation.
Readers might discern that these types of myths and folklores discreetly issues young children with distorted political views of society and equality. The endless stream of the conventional princesses and princes reinforce normative traditional gender roles and values absent of the habitual diverse modern society we reside in.
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entry description
To grow up means losing naivety and gaining perspective on reality. Through this journey I haverealised and further understood a new perspective to the fairytales I grew up reading and the lessons
society has absorbed from them. I have realised the importance of the young, white, male and able bodied, knight in shining armour and the underlying classist, sexist, homophobic and racist structure of the majority. The use of exhibiting mythical creatures adheres to impossible standards placed upon the beauty and intellect of women, further feeding into the overbearing patriarchal societal structures. The fantasy in which is imposed through the fictional creation of the stories bleed into the expectations of reality, in particular those placed upon women and mirrors the harmful effects of media. Viewers may acknowledge that fairytales implement teachings indicating the worth of a female is dependant not on their actions but their inaction, to be dependant on a man, to be still and
idle, to not be an individual with independent thoughts and values.
Only the core visual elements of these storybooks are imitated, leaving the old standard of the narrative and challenging it to create a political and personal fairytale that adheres to realistic expectations of women and their experiences of coming of age. The discourse in which this collection resides takes direct vision of a feminine perspective devoid of male focus, politically discreet and muted in which to mirror the state of the true female representation.
Readers might discern that these types of myths and folklores discreetly issues young children with distorted political views of society and equality. The endless stream of the conventional princesses and princes reinforce normative traditional gender roles and values absent of the habitual diverse modern society we reside in.
about the photographer
I’m from a small village in Wales but currently a student at Nottingham Trent University studying Photography. My style of photography comes from my enjoyment of all arts and media, creating an authentic blend through my visionary to create bodies of work that infuse a variety of my inspirations and passions. My experimental form is apparent due to my early years to this creative median, but what I believe is experimenting is also important no matter the experience. The form of experimenting and learning new techniques is the euphoric matter that structures photography and shapes evolution. I hope to always defer from what is known, to forever develop into new spaces, to never allow audiences to define what I do.back to gallery