Amelia Mitchell

BA (Hons) Photography

Get in touch with Amelia
Practice Makes Perfect explores the process of preparing the body for display through photographic self-portraiture, inspired by artists such as Cindy Sherman and Nadia Lee Cohen. Daily routines and rituals altering the appearance of the external body has created a communal experience across women naming this process as getting ready, usually before an event. Defined as 'to prepare', getting ready is a state of being where the body is not yet complete, taking steps to reach the stage of readiness. Introducing concepts surrounding communal experience and feminine representation, Mitchell uses textures and performative actions or gestures to visually exhibit the stages of getting ready. Inspired by the work of Juno Calypso and Miles Aldridge this work further captures melodramatic tableaux's of beauty regimes with a reflection on the self. First inspired by rooms within the home where these procedures takes place, the body is prepared using beauty products imposed upon women by society subsequently forming an ideal, desired version of the self. Audience interactions occur via the large mirror wall where the viewer can reflect on their appearance and vanity. This additionally explores how daily practices have become entwined within our lives. Practice Makes Perfect invites audiences to explore their complicity in the cultural value placed on feminine standards of beauty

With an interest in visual culture, advertising and gender representation, Amelia Mitchell's work takes influence from fashion and surrealism. Exploring self-portraiture as a form of expression and self-reflection she challenges conventional notions of the gaze and narcissism in consumerism. Her work functions to both celebrate and subvert pop culture.

From the series 'Practice Makes Perfect'.
From the series 'Practice Makes Perfect'.
Tough on Grease and Grime explores a contemporary perspective on the traditional roles of women. Fantasy and fiction are themes addressed by the idea of the perfect woman and wife in a 1950's home. The female subject in these images and assisting objects connote the domestic role. Film theorist and feminist Laura Mulvey described the term 'gaze' as a way of looking, specifically looking at women presented in an objective form. Viewers are invited to step into the frame through an enlarged image and an engaging conversation through looking, constituted by the subject's eye and the surveillance of the iPhone. Gender stereotypes have politically formed a debate over the representation of men and women in society through gendered objects and colors such as blue and pink relating to the boy/male and girl/female respectively. Addressing femininity but re-presenting women in these images through contemporary presentations, Mitchell seeks to contribute to the ongoing conversation of gender roles. Offering new perspectives through controlling the images she places herself as the subject. She forms an educational space where the viewer is encouraged to consider how these themes and topics may be reflected in the present day.
From the series 'Tough on Grease and Grime'.
An experimental shoot for the series 'Practice Makes Perfect'. Developing melodramatic styling and performance for the camera.
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Amelia Mitchell

BA (Hons) Photography

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www.ameliamitchellphotography.co.uk

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