Artist Statement

I am a photographer who enjoys capturing the beauty within the natural. I enjoy photographing nature and landscapes in particular but, also enjoy capturing subjects like people and animals as well. I am inspired by the natural beauty that our earth holds and by the movement of the world around us. As a former competitive dancer, movement is something I always focus on in my photographs. Even though a photo is a still moment, I can truly sense the movement that was happening while the photo was being taken. The first time I picked up a camera, I was at the beach with my mom. We were walking along the beach and I was trying to take pictures of the waves. I noticed the movement of the currants as the waves rose and broke onto the shore. This was the moment I realized how important movement and timing was in my photography. 

Another important aspect in my photography is my space as a women in society. I am engaging in the social issue of feminism because, as a female, I have seen first hand how women are objectified, underrepresented, and mistreated in our society. This work fits into the Feminist Movement as a whole because I am trying to share a multiplicity of women's voices. It is something near to my heart not only because I am a female but because I am passionate about equality for all.

I am very interested in seeing the similarities and differences between American and Irish women. Through our readings, I see that Irish women seem to have strong voices however, some of their laws don't reflect that. I want to learn about how Irish women exist within their society. I will accomplish this by speaking to a handful of Irish women I find on the streets of Cork and Dublin and getting them to state a few words about what it’s like being a women in Ireland. I want to use videography and photography in black and white to capture each women and to highlight their words.

What inspired me to do this project was the Humans of New York series. For those who don't know it, the series captures multiple people throughout the city of New York and creates a short bio about them. It is personal, inspiring, and motivating. I think personal stories/anecdotes are truly inspiring and can connect people from across the world due to the fact that sharing a story is vulnerable and people and connect to it and learn from it.

I know my audience will not all be woman, however I expect them to listen and try to understand these women’s positions and to try to have an open mind when it comes to connecting to the work and to the women's words. I personally expect to be inspired by the experience. I think women's voices are often shut out and to hear from women candidly on the streets in a different culture will be an amazing experience.