You are here

VIRTUAL SENIOR SHOW: Genevieve Whittell 

Genevieve Whittell Cover image
Wed, Dec 2, 2020, 12:00 pm to Thu, Dec 31, 2020, 11:59 pm

VIRTUAL SENIOR SHOW: Genevieve Whittell 

Remediary is a made-up word. The closest thing found on Google is Re: Me Diary, a blog site that has an aptitude for advertising where to buy domain names. Be forewarned, that’s not what this is, I don’t know a thing about domain names. The word Remediary was a melodic sounding combination of remedial and mediary: something that heals and something or someone that exists in the space between. I thought this non-existent word was the perfect name for this project: healing while stuck in the middle ground. 

This project was initially intended to be a way of cross-examining antiquated female characters and archetypal tropes with modern experiences of mental illness and identity in femininity. As i was planning what to showcase for my last project as an undergrad there was no escaping the overwhelming sense of responsibility and sour anxiety that came with every shoot. Therefore, the chaotic nature of life got the best of me and the project I’ve finished is completely different than I’d originally planned. Somewhere along the way this project became a window into where I find myself in life: somewhere between childhood and adulthood, clinging desperately to the stories, myths, traditions and habits I've picked up along the way, in hopes that one will give me guidance across the precipice on which I find myself. Each image is reminiscent of a story, character, fear or reflection I’ve found pertinent to my existence; childhood games and the emotional turmoil of losing them, playground stories and the anxiety they stir up years later, images of princesses and queens, ghosts in the backyard and all the other swirling memories and revelations I’ve been forced to find during quarantine.


Genevieve Whittell 1

Title: Folly of a King
Medium: Digital Photography
Year: 2020
Description: This image shows the emptiness of a life of power and ambition, drawing attention to the recurring motif of substance use and loneliness.


Genevieve Whittell 2

Title: Hide and Seek I
Medium: Digital Photography
Year: 2020
Description: This image is meant to be a semi-surreal take on playing hide and seek as a child and the disappointment and relief of being found.


Genevieve Whittell 3

Title: Live and Learn
Medium: Digital Photography
Year: 2020
Description: Inspired by the story of the Green Ribbon, this image conveys the uncertainty of human health and the fragility of existence.


Genevieve Whittell 4

Title: Hide and Seek II
Medium: Digital Photography
Year: 2020
Description: This image is meant to be a semi-surreal take on playing hide and seek as a child, the anxiety of being left alone and wondering if anyone would ever find you.


Genevieve Whittell 5

Title: Paper Faces
Medium: Digital Photography
Year: 2020
Description: This image is meant to be reminiscent of Halloween costumes as a child and the fear I’ve always had of my childhood backyard at night.


Genevieve Whittell 6

Title: Pruning
Medium: Digital Photography
Year: 2020
Description: This image is representative of the fear of getting out of a warm bath to face the cold, much like the fear of leaving home.


Genevieve Whittell 7

Title: Sky in Hand
Medium: Digital Photography
Year: 2020
Description: This photo is meant to convey the confusion and disorientation of discovering one’s own identity and the ever changing nature of being at peace with your reflection.


Genevieve Whittell 8

Title: Something Borrowed
Medium: Digital Photography
Year: 2020
Description: This image is meant to convey an addictive relationship to substances that so often begins in young adulthood.


Genevieve Whittell 9

Title: Feast Your Eyes
Medium: Digital Photography
Year: 2020
Description: Inspired by the myth of Persephone, this image is meant to demonstrate having many choices, options and directions to go, but not being hungry.