I completed my Photography MA in late 2019, concluding with a series of digital collages inspired by contemporary art photographers as well as the earlier Surrealist and Dada movements. Since then I’ve been selected to show my work at the London Lighthouse Gallery, a projection at Tate Modern, Photo Oxford, and a gallery in Florida as well as exhibiting locally. I also have work in several publications.
Recurring themes punctuate my work: nostalgia, the iconography of women in magazines, anonymous crowds; mostly with a surreal emphasis.
Clockwork (2023 series, currently on display here). Inspired after reading about the Doomsday Clock (the time was set this January at ninety seconds to midnight by the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists). It is the closest it has ever been to the symbolic midnight of catastrophe. Each of my images feature a time keeping or counting device, two of which have been in my family for generations; grounding and expanding the passage of time. Props that I photographed are included alongside digitally edited characters and items from vintage fashion magazines.
Sea slides (2023 series). These images are different from my usual themes. I made them after becoming aware of the massive scale of erosion on the East Suffolk coast, specifically Pakefield. They are photographs of man made items that have found their way down the cliff or onto the beach as a result of the sea encroaching onto and eating into the land. By isolating them from their surroundings and placed on a black background the viewer sees the objects for what they are. I aim to provoke a visual dialogue, showing the sometimes overlooked impacts of climate change on our smaller coastal towns.
Recently my main focus has been my Nereid series, Greek mythological creatures who protect those in, and on the sea. These have embroidery and beach findings sewn into the work. I also continue to make collages.
You can follow the progress of my mythological Nereids and other work on Instagram @teresa_williams__
