Ann Gaskell’s untitled #26 (override)
Ann Gaskell’s untitled #26 (override) is a great example of melodrama in contemporary photography. In much of Gaskell’s work, she is setting a scene of a story, like a movie clipping, rather than naturally coming across her subjects on the street. She seems to have a concrete and well thought or purpose to her works particularly the wonder and override series. In Untitled #26 A young girl is being portrayed, looking almost cruelly at another other girls back. The two girls clothing are the same, which gives a school girl sort of feel, but the expression of the girl facing the camera is something to wonder about. She is not acting at all playful, or young and helpless, as young girls are often portrayed, but rather as if she has the intent of harm on the other. Many of Gaskell’s photographs in the override series, show girls as aggressors, while still evoking an Alice in wonderland feel. It seems as if her pictures show into the mind of a severely disturbed and confused child. The picture has the feel of the birth of a serial killer. The child has just had the epiphany. She has thought that pivotal first murderous thought. And now there is no turning back. One might imagine the next scene where the girl is hurting or killing the girl from the picture before. There is something within humans that evokes tremendous amounts of fear from an unbalanced child. Children have not yet fully learned what is socially acceptable, and if she has the desire to do evil, more than likely she will. Also unbalanced children are a sign of uncontrollability. We can drug them, or lock them up, but there is no “cure” for many psychological ailments.
It is really interesting how Gaskell combines a well known children’s story, with this corrupted, damaged, but in a sense more realistic version to make her photographs. Most of her works are full of melodrama. The stories she creates are amazing, and she does it in a way that is really open for interpretation. In the book “Acting Out, invented melodrama in contemporary photography,” the author Kathleen Edwards explains that, “human beings have a deeply rooted need to create and identify with narratives, an instinct linked with the tendency we have to see our lives as a story,” It seems that Gaskell has created a narrative that many can identify with. Though it is uncommon for all of us to have had murderous thoughts as children, and act upon them, the scene in untitled # 26 is that which most of us have felt at one time or another. A feeling of revenge, anger, disdain, but having all these feelings forced beneath the surface because we need to show our bet face to society. The girls clothing and background give the idea of normalcy, and convention, but while societies back is turned, we can really show our feelings, if only for an instant.
Looking at the photograph, One can almost see the entire story playing out. Two young girls are playing in the woods. Many photographers capture this innocent act. But just as the girl begins to turn away to start counting or to hide for a game of hide and seek, a though comes into the other girls head. She remembers how she was betrayed earlier by this friend (the betrayal may have been minor, but with children nothing is ever really minor). Then thoughts begin to cloud the child’s head; thought of revenge. Maybe just a push, or maybe with much more force, will the child seek to make things truly right.
Posted by: Amber Herres