He Got Nasty

Growing up, I had an uneasy feeling that something darker lay beneath the surface of my family history, in conversations with my mother over the years, the truth of our situation unfolded, and I learned that she had shielded me at a very young age from domestic violence at the hands of my father. The ordeals we had discussed stayed with me and inspired this project, in which I began to explore my personal feelings towards this unveiling of truth, and tried to conceptualise the feeling of discovery and unease I felt towards viewing archival images from my family album, taken during the time the abuse was happening. The project then developed into a series of interviews and collaborative shoots with other victims of domestic violence, in order to allow space for victims to acknowledge their experiences, and contextualise using imagery the harsh, distressing reality that over 2 million victims of domestic violence have had to experience. The collaborative aspect of the project aims to empower victims to speak on their ordeals, a space to be heard, and a sense of agency over their experiences. This project is currently ongoing. 

Contact Details:

Email: laurenkenwophoto@gmail.com

Instagram: @laurenkenworthy_photo