Photography and the Family

Families and Sub-Cultures.
Is the 90's still a time where 'children should be seen and not heard'?
The 1990's presents the end of Modernity and the dawn of the Post Modern age. A time where peoples rights were at a high, including the rights of children and young people. As a child is is defined by UNCRC as under 18 years old, society begins to question their own rights. Predictably causing conflict many artist began to respond to such changes.

I have been looking at the work of Tierey Gearon a female photographer who photographs her own family. Her work is clearly provoking and is very suiting of the 90's. She questions the role of children and their relationships with adult and each other in her project 'I am camera'. Other than the obvious controversy associated with images of her children naked, Tierey allows her children to wear quite disturbing masks. she often captures them in playful and familiar childlike surroundings and settings, however her use of masks creates quite a
sinister and striking theme.














http://www.tierneygearon.com/exhibitions/i-am-a-camera-gallery/
By- Tierey Gearon- project ' I am camera'

Her work gives the power over to the children in a sense. Particulally in the images above the children's posturse are very stern and grounded, giving the audience a sense on confrantaion. As if to say we have a voice and we are going to use it. By wearing masks the children aren't individually identified they are speaking of behalf of all children. I can imagine that these images would present parents with a fear, a shift in power balance is taking place and Tierey's photos present this beautifully. Everything about these images presents family snap shot with a twist. The bright colours and the defacing the only adult in the picture on the left, again puts the children in control.
Her work in the book 'Mother Project' similarly provokes the conventions of family relationships and what we expect to see.

"Tierney Gearon’s photographs have been called manipulative, disturbingly ambiguous, even perverse; the London police demanded that the Saatchi Gallery which first showed the offending photos of her young children take the pictures down. Tierney has always maintained she loves her subjects deeply and understands them better than anyone else. How could she not? They are her family."
http://www.tierneygearon.com/exhibitions/the-mother-project/- Taken from Tierey Gearon's website.