"Seven Years (2001-2004) aims to deconstruct the trope of family photography by meticulously mimicking it. In the series, the title of which refers to the age gap between the artist and her elder sister, Morrissey functions as director, author and actor, staging herself and her sibling in tightly controlled, fictional mis en scene based on the conventions of family snapshots.
In order to construct images that appear to be authentic family photographs from the 1970s and 1980s, Morrissey uses period clothing and props, both her own and others, and the setting of her family's house in Dublin. They assume different characters and roles in each image, utilizing body language to reveal the subtext of psychological tensions inherent in all family relations. The resulting photographs isolate telling moments in which the unconscious leaks out from behind the façade of the face and into the minute gestures of the body."
Quote taken from trishmorrissey.com/works
This work was suggested to me in my second tutorial on this unit. I was aware of referencing Morrissey's other series called 'Front' where she impersonates a mother in found families on a beach and has the family portrait taken, but I feel this series resonates with me a lot more, especially for this project.
I love how she uses the props and the location (her family's house) to echo the feel of 70's and 80's family snapshots. The clothes and the poses also help a lot and make me think of my own family's album (photos of my mum and dad in the 70's) which will always invoke a sense of affection and reminiscence. The ability to tap in to that mindset of an audience is something very inspiring to me.
I want to take pointers from this work of how a certain style of shooting and direction can alter the feel of an image. With their being so many parts of a celebrity magazine, photography wise, I feel like I can adequately explore all different styles of shooting with the correct location, camera and props.
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