Digital imagery. Archival inkjet print
Katie Lindsey
Artist Statement
Our Daily Burdens
Fear is something that everyone deals with daily on some level. Whether these fears are mundane or profound, they are a burden to us nonetheless. When thinking of my own fears, I realized how much they affect not only me, but also the way in which I interact with my surroundings. If there is something around me that I am afraid I shut down and become completely silent, which changes the mood of the room dramatically. While fears are common, they are dealt with differently depending on who we are. Some people my run from their fears, some may stay and confront them, and some may just ignore them. With this I have decided to try and take several approaches
For the first part of this series, I placed imagery representing one’s fears into a jar and arranged them within the person’s space. This jar represents the physical burden fear places upon us every day. I changed the jar’s physical appearance and placement within the frame depending on the individual’s personality. I may break, hide, tape, scratch, or seal the jar. My goal is for the images to appeal to a very wide range of people. Several of the fears within the photographers are universal, including the fear of spiders, failure, and a broken heart. By seeing the series the viewers will become more aware of their own fears and realize how they keep them captive from exploring outside the box and from pushing their own boundaries.
For the second part of the series, I explore the idea of where ones fear can develop from. For example, researchers have said that we are born with certain fears already in place when we are born. The fear of falling is prevalent in infants. Furthermore, the politics of ones country that has surrounded them can evoke fear. Also, television I believe is one of the worst forces that can place fear within a person. All of these plus more have in one way or another caused us to have fear.
For the last part of this series I wanted to communicate the idea of being completely over come and consumed by my fear. For this, I drenched my self in the contents of the jar, which creates this uncomfortable effect. While I try to go about my everyday life, and it is unobvious to me, the viewer can clearly see me being consumed.