Anahit Paula

Versión en español

Anahit Paula | Ciudad de México

Result of the workshop "Bitácora Visual, Introducción al lenguaje fotográfico" given by Nirvana Paz and Xavier Aguirre of the Fundación Pedro Meyer June 2013

I have been interested in art since a young age, and began with drawing and painting. My Mom noticed this interest and took me to all kinds of art workshops for children.

Later, at high school, I liked to play truant with a friend and go to her photography workshop at an art school, which was my first contact with photography and the black and white darkroom.

Throughout my life I have had all sorts of jobs, working in theater for many years and as a Jazz instruments technician at the Conservatory. This used to be a source of conflict for me, but now is something exciting, a tool that I can use to carry out my projects.

Photography has fascinated me since I was a child, when I used to take photos with my Mom’s 120mm camera and regarded it as a work of magic and patience. These days it is an oasis in which I can recreate myself and reconcile contrasting aspects of my identity.

INTERVIEW

ZZ. What motivates you to take photographs?

A.P. I like to tell people about what is happening to me, it’s like a sort of “exorcism” process… Recently, it has been a very intimate experience, and somehow by taking photographs, I begin to recognize myself and understand what is happening inside me. I feel that photography sees right into me, and shapes my inner world.

ZZ. What elements do you take into consideration as you produce images?

A.P. Lighting and composition. I am learning to lend coherence to images in a series, to establish a relationship between each of them. My proposal for this series is more formal. I also believe that all the details and elements involved in creating a discourse are very important.

ZZ. Where did you get the idea for this project?

A.P. It all began with a memory. When I was a child, I felt that my body was very large, like a strange object that did not belong to me. I began to explore that memory through images, trying to represent it. When I explored it, I realized that it related to what I had been taught about being a woman: how I should be, look and behave, and my place in society.
In that regard, the process of undertaking this project has been very revealing, as it made me see that my current perception of my body has been imposed on me, and does not reflect reality. Despite our years together, my body is still something strange and incomprehensible to me.

ZZ. What are the advantages of working with Sony equipment?

A.P. I appreciated the creative options offered by the equipment, which inspired me to create my project. The focus option, which I found strange at first as I was not used to it, was very helpful when doing my self-portrait.