To Wither and Bloom…
Before Guy Cry Club launched in Sept 2019, there was a long and gradual process of evolution that took place. From those initial sparks of ideas to where the Club stands today i wanted its growth to be as intuitive as possible, regardless of the frustrating setbacks and self doubt experienced along the way. Motifs started to repeat throughout these ideas, sentiments, questions and ambitions. Visualising them even as rough sketches over and over again ensured that they became the anchor points which enabled a more certain direction to be pursued.
These motifs – a brain/the mind, an eye, a teardrop and a flower – then came to life as a dialogue of expression; ultimately asserting that acknowledging your thoughts and expressing them in a creative way, a way that makes sense to you, allows growth.
Part of this entire process has been to interact with artists that inspire me. Artworks and their creators who i could see were aligned in some capacity with my thoughts surrounding the Club. One of those humans is the incredibly talented photographer Eivind Hansen.
His celebration of the queer communities comes from a need for representation, developed into expressive portrayals of personality and life. The use of floral accents throughout his project Forget Me Not continue to give life to marginalised voices without the use of words.
Photography can transcend the discipline when the person behind the camera sees more than a composition. Not only does Eivind see a personality, but he brings out those details and intricacies. The longer he gazes through that viewfinder the more he uncovers. And as a result the more time we take to experience his work the more we are invited to see.
As flowers became a more prevalent visual i wanted to use throughout Guy Cry Club, and with my growing admiration for Eivind’s honest work, I knew i wanted to work with him.
The images that came from our brief time together far surpassed any expectations I had. The spontaneous nature of creating the floral head-dresses, the kind patience of Eivind, watching an artistic practice evolve around me, led to a series of stunning photographic moments which i will be forever grateful for.
That day a process of pollination and growth truly began. Not just for Guy Cry Club but for me as well. The flowers which were left over from the shoot came home with me. A slowly fading memento of that day… Flowers which themselves became part of how i would reach out to more people about the Club. Most importantly, the portraits Eivind took of me are still creating conversations about creativity, queerness, mental health and expression.
Thank you Eivind.
