Susan
Grief is a powerful thing. It's something that helps us both hold on and let go, to reflect and process. Such is the case with my family as they talk about discovering the sudden diagnosis of my grandma's frontotemporal dementia and the grief that comes from losing someone you love, rely on, and look up to.
Woman in Chains
I invited women in my life to share one positive and one negative comment they’d received that shaped how they saw their bodies. I wove those words into this video, set to ‘Woman in Chains’ by Tears for Fears featuring Oleta Adams, and layered them with images and footage spanning three generations—my grandmother, my mother, and myself—at different ages and stages of life. The piece reflects on the pervasive and insidious grip of diet culture, how it can ‘chain’ women and pull them away from the joys of living. This project is unapologetically feminist, and I feel deeply honored to use it as a way to raise awareness and remind us all: you are more than a body.
"I'm Lost But I don't Know Why"
Using the song “Agnes” by Glass Animals as a framing device, this video explores the experience of depression and addiction in the life of Tammy Harrison through images and video. These images, drawn from her childhood, teenage years, and adulthood, are edited to highlight the interconnectedness of the moments that make up her life—moments that shaped who she is, yet are no longer part of her present. No matter how much she may wish it, she can never return to them. It is almost as if the “Tammy” from one stage of life is speaking to the “Tammy” of another, pleading, “I’m lost, but I don’t know why.” “What is this feeling that makes me feel joyless and apathetic?” Perhaps these were moments of unconditional happiness—before she knew addiction’s intoxicating tendrils, before she knew trauma. More importantly, they are the moments that depict the little girl, the teenager, the young adult, and the woman Tammy complexly carries with her today. Perhaps this video can hold meaning for those beyond its main subject—those who struggle with a hopeless, listless feeling that leaves them wondering why. Why do they feel this inexplicable emotion that disconnects them from who they are, and perhaps from who they once were?
Animated Images
You might have noticed these images in my "Woman In Chains Video" above. The animation effect was created using Adobe Photoshop and After Effects. An important step in this animation process is to remove the subject from the photo and try to make the background look believable without the subject in it. Some of these images were easier than others to animate as a result of that tricky step. Regardless, I had a blast making this, and it helped me feel closer to my grandma while animating. She passed away in 2009, so I never really had the chance to film her myself. Animating her images made me feel more connected to her.
