Growing up means having moment of reflection on what we used to be and how we have progressed. I find it bittersweet to think about how our younger selves would feel if they saw us at this phases in out lives. Would they be proud? Disappointed? We fade from childhood little by little until realizing we don't remember the little things like we used to. We start practicing habits we thought we never would, and make mistakes that years ago we swore we would never make. This is all a beautiful process of aging, and you cannot stop time from moving. The woman's glossy eyes seem to be wondering, recalling what her life used to look like in her bedroom, while the memories of her childhood and the principals that came with it fade away. I used an image of a young girl from the library of congress to convey this.
I wanted this piece to reflect that while also being a reminder to reflect on your childhood whimsy and morals, for YOU will always still be YOU.
Link to Library of Congress source image : Harris & Ewing Collection
https://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/hec.07829/?co=hec
The composition created by Lucy Yeates highlights a girl in a bedroom with a younger girl behind her sitting on a vanity mirror. The environment suggests a childhood bedroom, infused with a nostalgic effect heightened by the presence of the vanity. At the same time, there are distinctly modern aspects woven into the scene, such as the bong, magazine, and visible tattoos. The tone of the image is emphasized through a glossy light overlay that creates a hazy atmosphere. Rough, torn textures are incorporated into the frame, further suggesting wear and tear, as though the piece were a damaged wet plate. Lucy herself is the focal point of the composition, yet the ghost-like child in the background—dimly lit, softened by shadow—feels essential to the narrative. The hazy smoke drifting from Lucy’s mouth adds another layer of atmosphere while deepening the visual metaphor.
ReplyDeleteThe work appears to be about self-reflection and the tension between one’s younger self and one’s present identity. The composition plays with themes of innocence and rebellion, highlighting how people often grow into versions of themselves their childhood selves could never have anticipated. The cloudy haze and smudges obscuring the child’s face act as a metaphor for the gradual fading of innocence, replaced by the complexity of adulthood. The bong situated near the child is both ironic and unsettling—it functions as a clue to the inevitable shift into the future, blending humor and critique. The streaks and smudges on the surface intensify the effect of nostalgia, as though memory itself has been worn down with time.
Technically, the work embodies the characteristics of the Wet Plate Collodion process with striking effectiveness. The monochromatic black-and-white palette, paired with strong contrasts of shadow and highlight, allows the viewer to distinguish between foreground and background while maintaining a dreamlike softness. The blurred streak across the younger girl’s face hints at the long exposure times once required, creating a sense of instability in memory and self. The distressed edges, gritty overlay, and cloudy haze recreate the imperfections of glass plates, light leaks, and emulsion runs. Even the faint sepia tones amplify the sense of age, as though this image were uncovered from a forgotten family album.
In conclusion, Yeates’s composition bridges the thematic layers of self-reflection with the visual language of memory and decay. Much like a poem that juxtaposes past and present selves, the work stages a dialogue between childhood innocence and adult reality, framed through the material fragility of collodion photography. The torn textures and ghostly shadows serve as metaphors for how memory distorts, while the smoky haze suggests the fleeting, transitory nature of identity itself. By aligning content with form, Yeates ensures that the image is not only visually compelling but also conceptually resonant. It reads like both a photograph and a poem—one that leaves the viewer reflecting on how the “old” is never entirely gone, but instead lingers, altered and reshaped within the “new.”