Broken Light: A Photography Collective
We are photographers living with or affected by mental illness; supporting each other one photograph at a time. Join our community, submit today!
Do Not Remove Pins From Body [Butterfly Variation]
Photo taken by first-time contributor John Luke Chapman a 46-year-old photographic artist who lives by the sea in Brighton, UK. He suffers from clinical depression which, despite going undiagnosed for many many years, has been a life-long condition. About a decade ago, severe agoraphobia appeared as a new and unwelcome twist which forced him into an almost total re-invention. A cocktail of pills and therapies have begun to enable him to emerge from his solitary fugue. But it is only a beginning.
About this photo: “the photograph took over three years to prepare in order for the distressed shirt & suit to accumulate just enough dust. it is not algebraically symbolic but rather an attempt to tap in to a variety of emotional states; melancholic & tactile, but never sentimental, the dust-suit is both the shroud and the chrysalis of depression. of the darkling eye. the butterfly exaggerates these extremes; the expected is undercut by the unknown. many see beauty, transformation and hope in the form of these delicate wings but I am extremely phobic of butterflies and moths.”
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6 comments on “Do Not Remove Pins From Body [Butterfly Variation]”
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This is a sad and somewhat distressing photo. I found half of a butterfly wing in my yard the other day – our many birds are always busy catching them. It looked so forlorn, yet still beautiful…
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love your phrasing of ‘forlorn, yet still beautiful’.
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So good to see your appearance here, John.
Wonderful image, I like that you had the patience to.wait until the amount of dust suited your purpose. The butterfly adds a poignant note and an excellent detail to the image overall.
Your words are wonderful too, s good to learn about you and the symbolism of your piece, especially in such eloquent terms.
Bravo!
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thanks Ashley, although not sure if letting something get dusty is quite patience. I wasn’t keeping watch the entire time!
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Amazing piece of work! I can’t imagine having the patience to spend that much time on something… but, I’m certainly glad you had the patience… as someone who has suffered chronic depression most of my life, I can very much understand, and relate to the way you describe your photo… your artistic self speaks very clearly.
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thanks John, i appreciate your words …
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