ARTIST RESEARCH

BEX DAY

Describe:
Bex Day completed a large series in 2020 called “Seesaw” which demonstrates the feelings
she has felt during lockdown, positive and negative due to suffering with OCD. One
particular photograph from the series titled “Paper Bag” which is in colour, high angle
viewpoint, rule of thirds, a fast shutter speed, a small aperture and a deep depth of field.

Explain:
I think Day would have made this image large to emphasise the vulnerability of the person
captured to the left of the frame, as if the audience are all satirising her and making her
feelings invalid. Also, I think this was taken on a DSLR camera as the photograph was taken
recently and I believe it has been edited slightly by making the photograph have a high
contrast. I believe the aperture used was between f/16-f/22 and the shutter speed was between
1/60-1/200 because the photograph is crisp and there is no blurriness. The subject matter is
mainly the paper bag on the woman’s head which denotes suffocation, and she is harming
herself. Lastly, the camera has been positioned at a high angle to purposely make her look
small, weak and lonely – making the audience feel despondent.

Analyse:
The image has a portrait rectangular orientation which I think was chosen to make the
audience feel restricted as they cannot see the full image, perhaps this was to put the audience
in the woman’s perspective as to her, she is restricted from the world around her. Secondly,
the use of colour is very intriguing as we can see a colour palette of brown, black and white
which are dull colours, highlighting the gloomy atmosphere of the photograph. Although, if
the photograph was in black and white, I think it would have created a more harrowing
meaning as it would have suggested that the woman has no hope to feel better. Thirdly, the
use of a fast shutter speed forces the audience to acknowledge each detail in the
photograph as nothing has been blurred out therefore, there is no hierarchy of importance.
It allows an audience to see the creases in the paper bag, implying that although she is
hurting herself on the inside through suffocation, she is also hurting herself on the outside.
Furthermore, a paper bag has connotations of hyperventilation which symbolises the
vulnerability and delicateness people have encountered during the first lockdown. The
paper bag contrasts with the bed sheets in the background as they provide you comfort
whereas the paper bag provides you pain which could reflect how her mindset is fighting
that battle between pain and comfort. Moreover, the use of lighting is quite interesting as
we have direct contrasts of lightness and darkness which could reinforce the fact that there
is hope for the woman to feel less suffocated than what she does right now. Lastly, Day
has used compositional techniques such as rule of thirds and viewpoint to emphasise
meanings. For example, rule of thirds has been used because the main subject is positioned
to the left of the frame which makes the bed sheets seem less important, demonstrating
that she does have some power despite the high angle making her seem vulnerable, further
reflecting the vulnerability of people who are struggling to deal with an enforced isolation.

Opinion:
I believe the photographer has used viewpoint effectively as we can clearly see that the
woman is portrayed to be weak and vulnerable. The audience are forced to be in a position of
authority which could make them uncomfortable however, it also makes them feel sympathy
for her. I also believe making the model anonymous is very successful as it not only allows
more of a group experience, but it avoids the audience creating misconceptions of the model
based on their appearance. In my opinion, I think the photographer could have chosen
something different for the background instead of a bed sheet because although it
demonstrates that she has a safety net to fall back on, it does not make the photograph
have as much emotion as it would if the background was a wooden floor, for example. I
also think Day could have experimented with a shallow depth of field to further emphasise
the focus on the woman.

Evaluate:
Day stated in an interview with AnOther mag that she feels during lockdown she has
“noticed a surge of amazing work from so many artists, like Kate Tempest’s performance
of Hold Your Own on Dazed which was so powerful and relatable” suggesting that her
ideas for this series may have sprung from a range of art forms such as poetry. In another
interview with the British Journal of Photography, she was asked about why the themes
she explored throughout the series were important and she answered by stating that she
wanted to “document Covid-19’s internal and external effects […]I want to emphasise that
even though we must remain two metres apart the difficulties faced by many of us can
work to unite us” implying she had a hard hitting meaning behind each photograph which
links to the personal experience she was reliving through these photographs – OCD and
grief. In the same interview, Day said that she noticed her “OCD flaring up during
lockdown […] This led me to consolidate all of my thoughts about my identity and frame
them within the impact Covid-19 has had on me and the world around me”. She gave her
series the title “Seesaw” because not only does it reflect the ups and downs that we have
all faced during the pandemic but it also evoked memories of Day playing in the
playgrounds with her father, who passed away in February.