Emma Bäcklund
MA work
MA work
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Fasten, 2017
Fibre based hand printed photograph
25 x 31 cm | Photographer: Emma Bäcklund -
On the Other Hand II, 2017
Fibre based hand printed photograph
70.5 x 51 cm | Photographer: Emma Bäcklund -
On the Other Hand III, 2017
Fibre based hand printed photograph
48 x 60 cm | Photographer: Emma Bäcklund -
Splint, 2017
Fibre based hand printed photograph
165 x 106 cm | Photographer: Emma Bäcklund -
On the Other Hand (detail), 2017
Care ( On the Other Hand.. )
The work Care (On the Other Hand..) lingers between constructions of support and restriction in terms of body, form and representation. Through the photographic frame, physical boundaries are both explored and examined as a space of both possibility and limitation. What appears to be at a standstill is in constant momentum. The word care is soft but carries weight as one depends and is depended upon. The hands of the other can heal as well as oppress. At times, the hands of the other suggest a dual association with oneself.
A performance takes the form of a wooden wall structure with massage chair components. Two performers lie within the structure for 30 minutes, often the length of a typical massage session. Their bodies are gently held in a state of stillness, allowing for an exploration of endurance and tension. The performers are observed without being able to reciprocate the gaze, making them vulnerable in this state. Power dynamics are inferred between the support structure, performers, and the audience's gaze.
Info
Info
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MA Degree
School
School of Humanities
Programme
MA Photography, 2017
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Contact
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My work explores the performative dimensions of photography and its relationship to the body, influenced by contemporary visual culture, art history, philosophy, and dance. Conceptually driven, my visual work often stem from an inclination to explore the obscure or to respond to specific situations, environments or cultural phenomena through experimental means. The banal is a recurrent theme in my visual work, expressed through the fragmentation and reframing of images or live performances to extract new meaning and physicality. Drawing on my background in dance and interest in neuroscience, my work is influenced by the intersection of cognitive and physical processes, often with the viewer's own embodiment in focus. Further, I seek to explore and rearrange the slippage between subject, object and image by investigating the performativity within the process of viewing. Photography is often incorporated with other media such as performance, installation and, more recently, textiles. Collaboration is an important part of my work, which extends to workshops, teaching and curating.
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Degrees
- BA Photography, London College of Communication, University of the Arts, 2015; Foundation Art and Design, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London, 2011; Foundation Diploma in Art and Design, Folkuniversitetet, Stockholm, Sweden
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Experience
- Curator Paper, Publication and Performance with Jonathan Miles, Lychee One Gallery, London, UK, 2016. Curator of reading performance series, "Voice, Gesture, Sound", Lychee One Gallery, 2015.; Residency: Arts Letters & Numbers, Albany, New York, US, 2016
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Exhibitions
- Sloppy Tails Grow from Walls, solo exhibition, A Corner With, London, UK, 2017, At Home She’s a Tourist, group exhibition, Copeland Gallery (with tours for Photo London VIP, The Photographers’ Gallery and Tate Patrons) London, UK, 2017.
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Awards
- Otto and Charlotte Mannheimer foundation - 2016; Postgraduate support scheme grant, Royal College of Art, 2015
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Publications
- Self-published zine “Curved Spine”, Tate Modern, Offprint London, UK, 2017. Self-published zine “Moving Mountains”, Tate Modern, Offprint London, UK, 2016, Self-curated and published journal, “S.KIN Journal”, Brighton Photo Biennale, UK 2016; Still Life magazine, “Less Habitual Grip”, 2018, DER GREIF, 2016.