For this unit ‘identity’, I found it is vast. In where it could be about myself, others around me or strangers etc. I explored the broadness through the first initial mind map and mood board.

I did have other initial ideas, such as exploring environmental portraits of strangers, or my close family/friends. Looking into their jobs, as a sense of their uniform, being, all the same, looking like the same identity. But I feel that the idea below is unique and different that I can only produce.

IDEA – DOUBLE VISION

This idea was generated by talking to a visiting lecturer ‘Claudia Leisinger’. I told Claudia some of my thoughts, and in result, one of my peers happen to mention by accident, about my eyes. Then Claudia asked me to elaborate, and I told her I have Duane syndrome –

“Duane syndrome (DS) is an eye movement disorder present at birth (congenital) characterised by horizontal eye movement limitation [a limited ability to move the eye inward toward the nose (adduction), outward toward the ear (abduction), or in both directions].” (NORD (National Organization for Rare Disorders), n.d.)

However, I have a rarer condition in where I have 90% double vision, when not looking straight forward all I see is double of an object/surroundings. A specialist has told me, to put it, with DS typically your eyes will produce two different images, and your brain with make it one. However, my brain doesn’t merge the two images into one; rather, it puts them together like an overlap of two images (double vision). I was born with DS, but I started to notice the double vision significantly for over a decade now. It does affect my day to day life, but I have adapted to change certain aspects to suit me as it causes me migraines, a strain of the eyes and dizziness. But eye specialist says I have 20/20 vision, and yet, I’m still studying photography!

However using my weakness to my advantage, would be an exciting way to show my unique visual perspective through photography. And Claudia thought this would be interesting and unique to do.

So my idea was to take images in double/multiply exposure, as shown in the mood board above, in-camera or through Photoshop.

But the question is what am I photographing. Is it my own environment, family member or friends. Even photographing them outside or within my home. But maybe past events that have happened due to my double vision. Recreating them for my final images, showing my 1st point of view perspective. I will do test shoots & research, learning how to do the technique of multiple exposures.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

NORD (National Organization for Rare Disorders). (n.d.). Duane syndrome – NORD (National Organization for Rare Disorders). [online] Available at: https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/duane-syndrome/ [Accessed 26 Nov. 2019].