Not In Kansas is a staged series of photographs inspired by the tenacious, self- reliant character Dorothy from the story The Wizard of Oz.
Having grown up watching, admiring and being inspired by this character, whose journey of self discovery overcomes fear and loneliness to become em-powered and assertive in a strange land, I chose to create narratives which blur the boundaries between fantasy and truth, offering scenarios within which the protagonist wrestles with feelings of confidence, determination and boldness but is conflicted with ideas of isolation, loneliness, detachment and fear.
Each image is staged in different locations and contexts to explore and illustrate and emphasis these themes. Without being overtly prescriptive, each scenario asks questions to which the answers depend on the viewer’s own personal perceptions. The images are composed to simulate a sense of simultaneous coalition of elements of a before or after moment, with a deliberate ambiguity which only the viewer can resolve and further contextualise. [Official Website]
