Brittney Market – Prey (2017)
I have mixed feelings about Market’s work. It’s not that I don’t appreciate her erotic preoccupations and preference for analog processes frequently wed to a permeating sense of Gothic dread; it’s more that her brand is more or less Francesca Woodman 2.0.
The above is almost certainly equal parts reference/homage to this photo of Woodman’s mixed with this one and subsequently upgraded with a contemporary edge sharpened by feminist ethos.
She even prints overly dark–just like Francesca preferred.
What I didn’t realize–until this photo prompted me to dig a little–is that Market sells traditional dark room prints and they are really impressive.
As best I can tell this is from this print–the composition is off (the camera is listing 7 or 8 degrees starboard and is bowed down towards the ground, creating a sense in conjunction with the not quite symmetrical pose that the floor is tilted slightly); however by keeping the reflection of the curtains so white that the disappear against the dodged white tiles at the right frame edge and then burning in the tiles on the bottom and right so that you can see the texture in them, there’s a sense that this is a still frame from a Lynchian nightmare.
Also, I’m fairly certain that the shadows around Shelbie’s legs have been further burned in for stylistic purposes.
Acetylene Eyes 