ARTIST STATEMENT
Since I was a child, I found myself inspired by classic American cinema. My photography strives to introduce the fantasy of that golden age into a living reality. While most children enjoyed typical playrooms or nurseries, I explored the thick of dresses, hats, gloves, and shoes. Most of my childhood took place in what became known as The Dress-up Room. It began as a storage space for vintage clothing gifted to me from my Aunt. As the collection grew, so did my interest in the clothing. In time, I discovered that I could transform myself into the characters from my favorite classics ranging from Pollyanna Whittle to The Wicked Witch of the West. This love for cinema and time-honored costume brought my photography and art to a whole new level.
Initially, I only photographed myself. Later, I casted other theatre friends as models. Although my concepts and media changed over time, my ideation remained consistent. Drawing from inspirational characters or scenes, I developed alternative narratives. In my series entitled “The Secret Garden”, I change the story line to match my own life’s challenges; a physically disabled boy became mentally disabled but was still able to experience adventure and love. Photography gives me the most control to develop a piece using an alternative storyline where I travel back into the past. It offers complete control of set design, lighting, staging, digital works, and even alternative processes. My desires to accept new challenges lead me to expand my abilities. I dabble into other mediums like printmaking, sculpture, watercolor, and ceramics. No matter how I fabricate the story, the elements of whimsy or darkness always seem to seep out. Most recently, I have used all these new mediums to explore my idea of idealizing the past.
I use research to intensify the gravity of every project. Then I use art methods to transform the piece into a grounded autobiographical motif. Whether it is a story in a book or movie, I reconstruct the focus of that time into my life and work. Projects reflect my life, loves, struggles, and experiences, but the subjects seem to come from the golden age. This allows me to take my audience back to a time and place where I have always longed to be and share my thoughts about life’s riddles.
After the wheels begin to turn, I cast actors. The meat of my work involves taking measurements and constructing costumes. I hand pick fabrics and accessories that fit into the time period and culture. I send actors home with homework consisting of plot lines and emotional exercises. I teach them to practice in the mirror so that the scenes come across as raw, true, and authentic. In doing so, they are sent back into that time and place. Although the world is all about modernization these days, people still long for the touch of something aged. Old photographs give a sense of history and all the great memories that come along with it. They are our most immediate link to the past. I lead my acting team to this idea.
The most important part of the work comes at the end. I love the opportunity to mix up my own chemicals, hand develop these period photos, and unlock captured moments from a time long forgotten. Sometimes a photo may look very normal and boring without applying techniques such as Encaustic and Cyanotypes. My special developing methods allow me to end up with an individual output. The fantasy of that golden age is presented as a living reality. These unique pieces, which are often inspired by a movie or book, become mystical, memorable, and personal.
My work is unique, inspired, and dynamic. I continue to learn new ways to explore the idea of a simpler time. My art is always developing but with a continued sense of myself and my history. It is a shadow of where I imagine being and where I hope to take my audience. No matter the medium, I will continue to develop an unconventional look at the world and time we live in.
Artist Website
ms. hunts artroom 