BARTHES, Roland. 1977. Image, Music, Text. London: Fontana Press.
​
CLARK, D. 2023. ‘Population of England 2022, by Age Group’. Statista [online]. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/281208/population-of-the-england-by-age-group/ [accessed 24 Jul 2024].
CLARK, D. 2024. ‘UK Population by Gender 2022’. Statista [online]. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/281240/population-of-the-united-kingdom-uk-by-gender/#:~:text=In%202022%20the%20population%20of [accessed 24 Jul 2024].
FRIES, Kenny and Elisabeth FROST. 2024. ‘A Picture of Health: Jo Spence, a Politics of Disability and Illness’. A Picture of Health [online]. Available at: https://pictureofhealth-jospence.com/ [accessed 1 Jul 2024].
GONDISHAPOUR. 2022. ‘Cycle “Photographie Contemporaine” Shahrzad Darafsheh’. YouTube [online]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cm9sdKMraM0 [accessed 20 Jun 2024].
HILL, Sarah. 2023. This Is Your Brain on Birth Control. Penguin.
SMITH, Giulia. 2019. ‘Pain, Politics and the Power of Photography’. Wellcome Collection [online]. Available at: https://wellcomecollection.org/articles/XVqudxMAACEAxxLK [accessed 1 Jul 2024].
​
STEWART, Conor. 2021. ‘Contraception Use among Women in the UK 2018’. Statista [online]. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1063613/contraception-use-among-women-in-the-uk/ [accessed 24 Jul 2024].
Statement of Intent
​
On average, 31.2% of women in the UK, between the age of 14 to 49 are accessing hormonal contraceptives (Stewart 2021). This includes the pill, implants, patches, injections, and IUDs. (Clark 2023), (Clark 2024) Estimates the UK population of women between 14 and 49 to consist of 12.9 million, therefore we can assume around 4 million women are lacing their bodies with manmade medicines designed to mimic estrogen and progesterone.
The passion behind Fragility was instigated by my personal life-changing experience with synthetic hormones which has now left fertility hanging in the balance. Fragility will raise the question; do we truly understand how these medications alter our bodies and their long-term effects? Throughout, I draw from the studies of Dr Sarah E. Hill. Hill recognises the lack of medical studies on the long-term effects of synthetic hormones as well as the failure of medical practitioners to recognise the seriousness of the common side effects. “Each of us deserves to know as much as possible about the medications we put into our bodies, even when the effects in question aren’t life-threatening (the focus of most medical research).” (Hill 2023: 7)
My Intent in Fragility was to create a sensual yet expressive collective of photographs to resonate with my audience, allowing others to draw from their own experiences with hormonal contraceptives and infertility. Within, I have applied a range of photographic methods while aiming to use semiotics to reinforce visual metaphors. Starting with cyanotype as a part of re-photography, lens-based manipulation, moving image and collage. This may seem like a chaotic mix of methods but I have implemented the methods I believed would be most evocative.
Although my photographs will be open to interpretation, they will propose a resurrection. Asking the viewer to relive their personal experiences, allowing them to then relate to a shared experience. I want to offer an opportunity for the viewer to find solace in their own lived experiences, feeling comforted that they are not alone in their suffering. ​
​
The key ethical considerations I have been cautious of throughout are - respect for individual’s experiences and informed representation. I recognise others will have encountered juxtaposed experiences of synthetic hormones and I have ensured my evidence is accurate and that I am not spreading myths.
​​
​
Reference List