Maryann Morris ARPS - Perceptions Project

The Perceptions Project discusses the monumental void between reality and the public perception of our fellow human beings. It explores the unspoken way in which, within a few moments of meeting, we instantly perceive an individual’s makeup, personality, and being. The project specifically highlights those with cultural differences or hidden issues.

Using photography and audio, I have looked at the unseen, and how it affects the way in which we engage with our peers. The world is diverse and multicultural, but, since starting the project, I have uncovered a level of misunderstanding and ignorance which echoes my own experience of feeling inadequate and misunderstood. This has moved me to want to explore the absurdity that is perpetuated within a so-called progressive society.

Our physical appearance is mostly the luck of birth. A person’s space says so much more than the way they look. Our personal space is full of all the things that we choose to surround ourselves with, a curation of things that are important to us. I invited people to sit, as the protagonists, in their own space. I then created each image, over an extended period, leaving only the surroundings in focus, meaning the viewer can only draw meaning from what they can see.

While each photograph was taken, I recorded the protagonists recalling their experiences and stories. The long exposure resulted in the sitters being out of focus which allowed them to remain anonymous if they wished, providing freedom to speak without fear. The voices were later blended with the images to create this project.

Maryann Morris ARPS

My objective was to entice the viewer to see the person they are presented with, not by looking at their human form, but through their personal space, and the objects they choose to have around them. Noticing what people hold dear, and how they choose to live, reveals so much more about them than the body they were born with, yet so many of our perceptions are based on visual representations that are out of our control.

These pieces are not designed to be readily understood but they encourage and invite people to examine, and sympathise even, in order to understand the sitter’s issues. By doing so we encourage them to mimic the ideals that we are considering here.

To view the work alongside the audio, visit www.perceptionsproject.co.uk and click gallery.

Maryann Morris ARPS

Maryann Morris ARPS

Maryann Morris ARPS

Maryann Morris ARPS

Maryann Morris ARPS

Maryann Morris ARPS

Maryann Morris ARPS

Maryann Morris ARPS

Maryann Morris ARPS