Hannah Wilmshurst is fascinated by the daily routines we abide by and the way in which we conduct ourselves. By focusing on the nature of human beings and how we differentiate ourselves from one another, Hannah explores how individuals present a unique identity by observing and recording their characteristics within mundane environments. She captures simple actions such as walking, whilst the subject is absorbed in daily routine. Hannah uses the resulting images to exaggerate the way in which we create our own system within a matrix designed world. Using photography and printing methods, she blurs the boundaries between what is real and illusion by heightening elements of distortion and perspective. She seeks to unveil the guise that people strive to keep by catching her subjects off guard, which in turn makes us query why we feel so pressured to protect our identity. Hannah confronts the ‘Big Brother’ society that we are all inevitably part of and questions the role of surveillance other than for purpose of security. In one series of works Hannah, ridicules CCTV by forcing them to partake in an absurd surveillance game with other cameras. Influenced by artists such as Sophie Calle, she directly challenges what is considered an acceptable means of observation by pushes the boundaries of photography. Hannah exposes feelings of vulnerability for both subject and viewer and reveals our inherent desire to be a voyeur. She juxtaposes moments when her subjects directly confront her role behind the lens with moments when they are blissfully unaware that their identity has been captured.
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