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Knowing Oscar, Part 1

An ever-evolving series, the first part of this photo story is made up of photos taken between 2016 - 2018, the second half contains photos taken between 2019 - 2022. 

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Oscar is my best friend, my carer and my husband. Oscar is a multimedia artist, composer and filmmaker. Oscar is a Neurodivergent, mixed-race, Afropean, cis, queer man. Oscar is a second-generation Jamaican immigrant. Oscar is anxious, thoughtful and kind. Oscar is all of these things and more, but none of these descriptions fully capture who he is to me.

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This series explores the intimacy of photography and the relationship between the photographer and the subject. It uses film photography, photo collage and digital layering to depict the many identities that make up one individual, whilst contrasting the private, interior person with the public, exterior persona. 

Off centre is the upper body of a young mixed race man who smiles at the camera. He wears a black hat and puffer coat and has bleached dyed blonde hair. Behind him are grey fence panels.

Meet Oscar

A layered photo of Oscar, a young mixed

Bodies

Oscar, a young mixed raced man with short blonde curly hair, is standing in front of a white garage door. His torso and head are in shot, he wears a purple, green and yellow kaftan and a black docker peakless cap. He faces to the left of the shot, his eyes closed bath in sun across his face. The red brick frame of the garage is behind him and there is a large light leak across the left of the image.

Light Leak

Two images are layered through one another. One image is a birds eye view of a large blue floored area. The centre top left of the image is a woman in a white dress, black coat and white hat with her arms on her sides, elbows jutting out. Far to the left is a girl toddler in a light coloured dress with blonde hair looking in the other direction. To the right, slightly below the woman is another young girl, also blond, in pink clothing, also looking to the left of the image. Centre bottom left are a group of three adults walking close together, one of them pointing, all looking in the same direction. The second image layered on top is of Oscar, He is larger than the others, taking up a third of the image, in the centre in between the other figures. He has his back to us but is turning his face so the side of his head is in view. He is in heavily contrasted light and shadow, only parts of him can be seen, his neck, eye, cheek, part of his black and white striped shirt and arm.

Teacher

An off centre frame right stands a young mixed race man his lower legs cropped out of frame. His head is turned leftwards and his right arm holds his left, whilst his left hand is raised to the top of his blue jacket. He wears a small red beanie hat and blue jeans. In the background there is a stone building, grass, trees and a figure sat on a bench.

5.36pm 

At 5.36pm each day an alarm goes off. It’s been set for 3 years. We don’t remember its original purpose. It’s one constant in a precarious life.

The image is a digital collage of 6 of the same black and white image of Oscar, a mixed race man in his twenties with short dyed blonde hair. He is wearing a dark turtle neck and squares of white paper over his eyes. The identical images overlap and are placed three alongside each other and three more in a row behind. The background is white.

Persona

A young mixed race man sits in the centre frame. He wears a blue t-shirt and white shorts. Behind him is a circular mirror in a dark brown frame and a tall white lamp.

We let the light in but little else

An underexposed image of Oscar, a mixed race man in his twenties, wearing dark blue casual clothing and a dark green beanie hat. He is outside on a residential road, in front of a fence and leafless winter trees. He is sitting on a child's tricycle without shoes on, looking away from the photographer to the right of the image.

Ogga

Two images are layered through one another, as if a double exposure both of Oscar a slender, mixed race man in his 20’s with shaved hair. The image to the front is he is centre frame and sits half turned towards the camera, his face is half illuminated by the warm light of a sunset. He wears a dark blue t-shirt. Behind him is a bookcase brimming with books and magazines. The image behind and to the right is fainter than the first, he sits with his left knee bent and his head resting on top. His left arm clasps his knee. He stares into the camera. He wears a yellow vest.

‘"everyone carries a room about inside him"

Knowing Oscar, Part II.

Interrupted 
Smile 

Carer

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Lover

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Acclimatise

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Dazed

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Unknown

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