statement by the artist


Family portraits: the techniques of
»Theatre of the Mind« (1976)

The idea behind these images is to create a photograph that will show the
psychological spaces and relationships that exist between various members
of a family group. Using the actual people, a playlike drama is set up before
the lens. The project is explained to the subjects and their cooperation en-
listed. The photographer asks the individuals how they feel towards one
another and gets them to act out that relationshp in a physical way so that
it can be caught by the camera. The photographer might conduct a brief in-
terview with the family before the shooting session in order to obtain a more
accurate picture of what is really going on amongst them. More often than not,
he relies on almost psychic intuitions derived from his first impressions about
tbe emotional »script« that holds the family together in its particular form of
interaction. These intuitions often prove to be true, confirmed by more de-
tailed observation and by the subjects themselves. The photographic frame
is no longer being used as a documentarv window into undisturbed private
lives, but as a stage on which the subjects consciously direct themselves to
bring forward hidden information that is not usually displayed on the surface.
The photographer hopes not only to show us what families look like, which
we already know, but to penetrate deeper into their thoughts and emotions.



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