Who Am I?
The balaclava project responds to the use of photobooth pictures for official purposes. It explores the idea of a set of identity photos in which the individual’s identity is actually concealed.
The UK has a strong tradition of using photobooths for ID purposes. In other countries the booth is more of a ‘just for fun’ installation – a way for couples and friends to record a moment and gain an instant photo for posterity. In the UK we’re told not to smile, to enter the booth on our own, and under no circumstances to ever look like we are enjoying ourselves.
Yet each participant’s personality still shines through in these photos, despite the mask being subversive, and the images are both menacing and playful simultaneously.
