Hear Me Roar: Bowness 2026
HEAR ME ROAR (Self-portrait)
ZO DAMAGE 2026
Archival pigment print (triptych), 250 cm x 204 cm overall
HEAR ME ROAR is a recent work I am developing for submission to the 2026 Bowness Photography Prize.
Conceptually, each panel represents an individual woman, while the entire work embodies the collective voice of women. The large scale is intended to confront the viewer and compel engagement with the subject’s agency and worth as a site of presence and recognition.
Reflecting on this process, I recognise that the thematic intention to foreground presence and agency continues to shape my technical decisions and overall approach. Although this project does not utilise hand-based analogue photographic printmaking techniques, it aligns with my PhD research by exploring scale as a spatial strategy to confront viewers and encourage engagement with the agency and significance of the referent as a site of presence and recognition.
The image is an abstracted self-portrait with surrealist qualities, characterised by prominent film grain, a combination of high contrast and a broad tonal range in chiaroscuro, and soft focus. Achieving a high-quality scan that accurately renders the nuances of the negative is essential. For the intended scale, I am evaluating whether ‘flextight’ or ‘PMT’ scanning of the original 4×5 negative will best meet my requirements. My primary criteria are:
The scan must enable production of a 250 cm (2.5 m) print on the longest side without digital artefacts such as pixelation, and
It must also capture the negative’s rebate.
The work is designed to be wall-mounted at each corner (top, left, bottom, right) using small artisan nails provided by the artist. To ensure structural integrity, each corner is reinforced on the reverse with archival white linen tape, which prevents tearing during installation or de-installation and remains invisible from the front.
I am also consulting with Christopher Day from the MADA Photography Lab regarding production of the final print. Notably, a hand-crafted gelatin silver print is not feasible because my darkroom cannot accommodate exposures of this scale. Collaborating with the lab may introduce new technical possibilities and expand my understanding of large-scale digital photographic processes.
Artist Statement
Invisible Woman Syndrome is a psychological and social phenomenon characterised by increasing feelings of invisibility, lack of recognition, and perceived irrelevance, particularly among middle-aged women. At this life stage, societal conventions often position men as reaching their professional and personal peak, while women are marginalised by prevailing standards of youthfulness and perceived attractiveness. HEAR ME ROAR confronts these outdated perspectives by honouring the wisdom, experience, and beauty of middle-aged women. It seeks to cultivate open dialogue and encourage all women, including myself, to assert our presence, voices, and inherent worth.
Figure 2. Me standing with a full-scale low-resolution prototype of HEAR ME ROAR
Figure 2. HEAR ME ROAR, a low-resolution scan of the original 4×5” large format negative. Using Photoshop, I divided the scan into three equal sections and reconfigured the composition to present it as a triptych