This project has been in development for just over a year, the original concept was created at the end of 2022 and shoots aimed at being intentionally included started at the beginning of February 2023. As this project continues, it not only grows in size (more images, more participants, etc), it also evolves. As I understand the differences between people, so does my understanding of how we see ourselves and others.
The original idea was to look at the evolution of alternatives, not just the term but those who used the term to identify themselves, it's aim was to examine how those who identified as alternative had grown, evolved and changed, but still considered themselves alternative in some way. The term alternative has undergone many evolutions around how people see the word, the understanding and use of it, and its reduction in usage as fashions and politics changed. It started as a term just to identify something outside of mainstream, alternative clothes, alternative fashion, alternative rock, doing things differently. In the '90s and early 2000s, we used it to describe ourselves, an umbrella term for those rockers, metallers, goths, punks and other subgroups that could fit under. I still feel this term hasn't entirely lost its meaning, but perhaps returned to a more general umbrella term, for things, or people, who don't fit the mainstream idea of what we are supposed to live like. People who live a life, outside of what is deemed "normal" by the majority of society.
As I met with people and talked to them about how they saw themselves, I could see that there were so many people who fit into this broader definition, so many of whom you may not even notice on the street. And so this project became more about showing our differences, showing how so many of us fit this idea of alternative, and that these differences are a good thing, a beautiful thing.
As a species we tend to distrust, fear and sometimes hate the things we do not understand, even as I was studying and training, I came across people who saw photos of goths, rockers, or other people who express themselves differently, and they would express fear, "I don't know how I'd feel about someone like that coming into my meeting", I frequently wish I'd asked them to explain why someone dressed in black was such a scary prospect, but it was obvious even then, it was because they were different.
Part of this project is available to see here, as well as blog posts documenting some of the work I'm doing.
My first exhibition displaying this work is due to take place in March 2025 (exact dates to follow), for 6 weeks, with availability to be exhibited at other venues from May 2025, if you are interested in hosting this exhibition, please contact me via the Contact page.
