Janine Brown
The Wallflower Project wall·flow·er noun /wôl-flou(-ə)r/ 2. A person who has no one to dance with or who feels shy, awkward, or excluded at a party The body of work entitled, “The Wallflower Project”, examines the social stigma of being a “wallflower” through the use of portraits. The word “wallflower” was first used in the early 1800’s to refer to a woman without a partner at a dance, presumably sitting against the wall. During that time period, wallcoverings, such as wallpaper, started to grow in popularity due to mass production and a repeal of a “Wallpaper Tax” in England. Informed by history, I conceived of The Wallflower Project using double exposures (portrait + wallpaper) with a pinhole camera to create an image whereby the subject literally fades into the background. Over the past 4 years, I have been taking the pinhole portraits and printing them directly on discontinued wallpaper. The ghostly portraits require the viewer to take notice and spend time with the “wallflower”.
