"All I Own" by Sannah Kvist

I came across an inspiring series of work whilst I was researching, conducted by Sannah Kvist who is a portrait photographer. Her work has been a massive inspiration for my project, as her views on possessions and how people perceive items are very similar to my own. Her series, "All I Own", constructs sculptures of people next to all of their belongings, before they move out. Her photographs pose the question of are we represented by our personality or belongings. This is a question I have been asking myself for some time. We, as people, seem to collect items that mean something to us, or make us look better as a person. When I was a child, I used to always want the latest gadget or toy, so that I would be seen as more popular to my friends or family, and as I grew, this remained the same. 

I am mostly interested in the distinct contrast in the images that Sannah Kvist represents, especially between these two images of male subjects. The first subject seems to have a lot of clothing, gadgets and personal belongings that shape himself as a person, whilst the second subject owns simply books, a computer and a bed. Upon seeing these items, we judge the personality and lifestyle of a person, before meeting them. Stereotypically, I would judge the first subject as being a person who was interested in photography, who was part of a big social group, and who cared greatly about his appearance and looks. I judged this by the shoes being intricately laid out at the front of the shot, and the camera hung from a hook. I also naturally associated people who dress well, and with the trends of fashion, to be part of a big social group that goes out on the weekends. It is how I have been brought up to judge people, due to my background and experiences as a person.

I am going to take inspiration from these, and reference them within my own work when I photograph people who hoard items. Although not related in terms of the context of the image, they are aesthetically pleasing to the eye and draw the viewer in.