Doppelganger

Each image in this series depicts an individual wandering through the interior of an old college building, spaces that are once familiar turned unsettling. As the sequence unfolds, the subject is unknowingly observed. Not by an external presence, but by himself, The Doppelganger. This double, influenced by the theories of Sigmund Freud, initially unseen and unnoticed by the subject, becomes increasingly apparent. To be compared to a ghost of himself, a manifestation of repressed thoughts, a looming fear of death. He culminates in a moment of self-recognition. It is in this uncanny encounter that the narrative pivots, blurring lines between the observer and the observed.
I employed a photographic narrative structure to form a story both ambiguous introspective, encouraging the viewer to engage on multiple levels of self-examination. The work is crafted to provoke questions about perception, identity, reality, the reliability of what we see. Who is watching whom? Is this reality or what is falsely imagined? By inviting the viewer into this unfold, I am to strike a sense of unease. Being watched even in seemingly private moments. The architectural setting, is stripped of its warmth and distraction, acting as a stage for my characters, amplifying this feeling of surveillance and isolation. Also incorporating colour grading, all of the images have a strong blue/green base, typically used in media as a symbol for growth or 'rebirth', I have laid this out as a resurrection of ones self into a new.
Through this exploration, I aim to challenge the boundaries of privacy in our modern world, one increasingly shaped by constant observation, both in our and the digital world. This series becomes a visual reflection on our own presence in monitored spaces, and a consideration on the psychological effects of our societal state of surveillance culture. In doing so, this questions not only how we are seen, but how we view ourselves.