My photobook is inspired by places I feel at “home”. Each chapter begins with a pathway/doorway that seems to be leading you to a new location. These photos invite you in to see where I feel at home.
I approached the brief “Transformation” with my previous gouache paintings in mind. This brought my attention to the birds I had included in my “30-minute” painting leading to my idea forming around the theme of birds.
To begin I sketched birds from the projection video and studied a slow-motion video of a bird taking flight (linked below) I wanted to add a surreal element to my painting therefore after choosing a colour scheme I made a connection to the “Phoenix” from Greek mythology.
The Phoenix is a symbol of rebirth and renewal. It is believed that the Phoenix is immortal and always reborn again. The rebirth nature of the Phoenix translates to my theme of transformation as the bird is converting through life and death. To communicate this, I used the slow-motion video mentioned above and painted the flight cycle of a bird. To me, a bird is most alive when flying therefore it symbolizes life returning to a Phoenix.
