PROJECT: ONGOING VARIOUS WORK FROM 2010
WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY: LYDIA ROBERTS

Double-exposure works enable me to journey back through my rickety hard drives and at times, weave loose narratives. This process has been a useful one when dealing with a creative drought. During lockdown, my hunt through latent images intensified. I pulled out more and more forgotten pictures and attempted to recycle what had been previously discarded.

I have often thought of my hard drive as being akin to a painter’s disorderly studio, encrusted in pixels instead of paint. Attempts to declutter have always been futile and so it continues to grow day by day. An insatiable appetite to consume my surroundings has resulted in an enormous stockpile of unused and overlooked moments in time—a crack of sunlight, a car window snap, a blurred pop of color.I began playing with digital double exposure and reflections early on and quickly entered an unlimited world. Having a narrow scope of subjects resulted in a near endless stream of self-portraits and repeated shots. Layering, however, gave them a new lease on life, catapulting them into an unknown realm.

One of the most common questions I’m asked is what cameras, lenses and plug-ins I use. In truth, my equipment and knowledge of editing software and technical aspects is limited. To an extent, this is out of choice. I have only permitted myself to learn a fraction of Photoshop’s capabilities. Not overcomplicating matters has forced me to be more imaginative and resourceful, reducing the infinite iterations that using this kind of technology encourages. Just knowing a few simple tricks allows for endless play.Although there’s no hiding from the fact that I’m manipulating an image, there are still boundaries that I don’t like to cross. I hope to maintain a certain subtlety. I don’t like these works to scream “I was digitally manipulated!” Nor, however, am I reluctant to share the process if asked.Timelessness and mystery are qualities I always strive for. I take pleasure in creating the effect of a layered, edited image organically through the use of reflection and light. I rarely title or date my work. Creating images that are not anchored by a who, when or even a why is incredibly freeing. It forces the viewer to enter a rootless reality. My aim is for the layered images to quietly blend in with the rest of my work.

Humor, cinematography and the surreal can all emerge when slightly altered or teamed with the right photo. Of course, creating a double-exposure image that works isn’t always plain sailing. People often think of digital photography as being instantaneous, when in fact the process can take years.It’s crucial to thoroughly inspect what an image can transmit because that can change over time. These works are also dependent on other fluid factors like mood and creative impulse.

Variables such as chance and what I call a “certain trained laziness”—permanently having a bank of unclosed files in photoshop—can come into play. Intriguing ideas and representations that would have never occurred to me before might transpire. Working spontaneously—with only perhaps a vague idea of what I hope to create—means that I’m more receptive to possibilities. Images can suddenly become imbued with meaning.

When in doubt, I often find that biding my time is the best way forward. This approach can be frustrating given the short life span photos have, especially on platforms like Instagram. But with time and frequent reappraisals, an idea slowly forms. Sometimes just looking at a photo can be more productive than actually working on it. 

Searching through an ever-growing arsenal of images is a perpetual process—it’s key to be patient, ready and open to what eventually materializes.