Tamara Dean. Image courtesy of the artist and Michael Reid - Sydney + Berlin1/21'Dawn Dance'
Tamara Dean. Image courtesy of the artist and Michael Reid - Sydney + Berlin2/21'Close to the Earth'
Tamara Dean. Image courtesy of the artist and Michael Reid - Sydney + Berlin3/21‘I wrap my face in her cloak of petals and breathe deeply’Finding pleasure and relief in the simple act of being in a garden and immersing myself in the scents, textures and dusky late light has been my way of finding my peace.
Tamara Dean. Image courtesy of the artist and Michael Reid - Sydney + Berlin4/21‘Discombobulation’In 2020 my sense of home went from one of terror with the Currowan fire tearing through our region, and only three months later to a refuge in which to socially isolate due to the pandemic.This made life take on a strange, surreal quality, as though my reality had tipped upside down.
Tamara Dean. Image courtesy of the artist and Michael Reid - Sydney + Berlin5/21‘Fleeting’The cherry blossom is known for its short lived bloom, and is known to symbolise transience and the ephemeral nature of life.Here my two figures are encompassed in these blossoms, taking this seasonal moment to enjoy the heady, gentle pleasure of being amongst flowers and nature during the lockdowns. I have altered the hue, referring to the surreal experience of my environment changing colour through the smoky haze of the fires. Although here I have chosen a cool colour for relief.
Tamara Dean. Image courtesy of the artist and Michael Reid - Sydney + Berlin6/21‘Escapade’I have been creating a series of photographs in private gardens, using myself as the figurative element in the landscape. At times emboldened within the landscape, at times fleeing from an invisible threat. Reflecting the dual aspects of my psychological response to the virus and the social isolation – from a feeling of fear and anxiety, to finding solace in the natural environment.
Tamara Dean. Image courtesy of the artist and Michael Reid - Sydney + Berlin7/21‘High Jinks in the Hydrangeas’Like Alice (in Wonderland) I lose my footing, tumbling into the forest and letting myself succumb to the surreal experiences ahead. Part theatre, part reality, losing my balance and looking at the world from a different perspective has been part of my 2020-2021 reality.
Tamara Dean. Image courtesy of the artist and Michael Reid - Sydney + Berlin8/21
Tamara Dean. Image courtesy of the artist and Michael Reid - Sydney + Berlin9/21'In the silence of the fading light' depicts my body flying out on a rope swing which we have positioned over a body of water on our property in the Shoalhaven, NSW. Typically lacking the confidence to take hold of the rope and fly through the air, in the silence and solitude of the gloaming I was spontaneously compelled to take flight for my camera. This was an experience borne of this strange and challenging time. Challenging my fears and finding my inner strength in order to adjust to life with the pandemic.
Tamara Dean. Image courtesy of the artist and Michael Reid - Sydney + Berlin10/21‘Leap of faith 1’The figure you see moving through the landscape in these works is the woman I would like to be. She who can fly through the air, tumble through the treetops, climb trees and clap clouds of thunder.
Tamara Dean. Image courtesy of the artist and Michael Reid - Sydney + Berlin11/21As our daily lives suddenly transformed due to COVID-19 I embraced this period of self-isolation using my photographic process as a form of escapism from my pandemic induced anxieties. I have been creating a series of photographs in private gardens, using myself as the figurative element in the landscape. At times emboldened, at times fleeing from an invisible threat. Reflecting the dual aspects of my psychological response to the virus and the social isolation – from a feeling of claustrophobia and anxiety, to a sense of release.Introverted by nature, here I am seen retreating and burying myself back into a blossom.
Tamara Dean. Image courtesy of the artist and Michael Reid - Sydney + Berlin12/21‘Losing myself’The garden is the place I go to lose myself and find relief from the challenging experience of living with a pandemic, and the extreme weather events we are experiencing with the climate crisis.
Tamara Dean. Image courtesy of the artist and Michael Reid - Sydney + Berlin13/21‘Night Garden’An evening with the rhododendrons. The garden is the place I go to find relief from the challenging experience of living with a pandemic and the extreme weather events we are experiencing with the climate crisis.
Tamara Dean. Image courtesy of the artist and Michael Reid - Sydney + Berlin14/21‘Peeling back the layers’Pulling back the old bark, lifting the weight of old ways off my burdened figure. I feel compelled to challenge my fears and find my inner strength in order to face this new time we are living through.
Tamara Dean. Image courtesy of the artist and Michael Reid - Sydney + Berlin15/21‘Self Care’Referencing the immaculately groomed hedges of the Southern Highlands and my own ‘lockdown haircut’ I play with a fantasy of the familiar well-worn hedging shears coming to life.I imagined how the lockdown would be for these manicured hedges. How they could maintain their shape and vigour without the usual gardeners around to tend them.This is a humorous local take on these two aspects of lockdown. With my/the hedges hands wielding the shears they take on new life almost seeming to take flight with their vigorous energy.
Tamara Dean. Image courtesy of the artist and Michael Reid - Sydney + Berlin16/21‘Shake it off’Don’t touch your face, don’t touch surfaces, don’t breathe the air. This work is symbolic of my psychological experience of living life with covid in the community. A visualisation of being overcome by particles in the air without a way to shield my own face. Shaking off any lingering particles.
Tamara Dean. Image courtesy of the artist and Michael Reid - Sydney + Berlin17/21'Smoke Signals'
Tamara Dean. Image courtesy of the artist and Michael Reid - Sydney + Berlin18/21'Resilience'
Tamara Dean. Image courtesy of the artist and Michael Reid - Sydney + Berlin19/21'Taking Aim'
Tamara Dean. Image courtesy of the artist and Michael Reid - Sydney + Berlin20/21'Tumbling through the treetops'As our daily lives suddenly transformed due to COVID -19 I embraced this period of self-isolation, using my photographic process as a form of escapism from my pandemic induced anxieties. I have been creating a series of photographs in private gardens, using myself as the figurative element in the landscape. At times emboldened within the landscape, at times fleeing from an invisible threat. Reflecting the dual aspects of my psychological response to the virus and the social isolation – from a feeling of claustrophobia and anxiety, to a sense of release and connection to nature. Turning my camera on myself, or putting myself in front of my camera has been a surprising experience.I have always been aware that my models accept a level of discomfort to fulfill what I ask of them in my shoots. Whether that be the way they contort their body in the landscape, the acceptance of being hot or cold…usually cold. Or physically pushing themselves to do unusual things in landscapes that they may otherwise not.In the roles of both photographer and model I found myself pushing my limits beyond what I thought I was capable of. When I put myself in front of the camera I knew that whatever I wanted to capture, if it was something I would ask of someone else I should ask it of myself.So the figure you see moving through the landscape in these works is the woman I would like to see and to be. She who can fly through the air, tumble through the treetops, shoot an arrow, climb trees and clap clouds of thunder. She who is also vulnerable and curious, introverted and gentle.In the edit I was ready to see my body with all of the criticisms I would ordinarily inflict upon myself, but instead I saw something in myself that I had never seen before. I saw courage, agility, humour and strength. I feel that I have come away with the most personal body of work I have ever made.
Tamara Dean. Image courtesy of the artist and Michael Reid - Sydney + Berlin21/21'Wandering Mind'
