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Longer Shadows, Shorter Days
Farida Soliman
LONGER SHADOWS, SHORTER DAYS is a self-portrait photo experiment with the goal of discovering different levels of the photographer’s mental illness, Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). She attempts to use the camera as the eye-opener, the quiet observer she needs to look into herself. In order to put herself in the way of her traumas and what shaped her BPD, she revisits the childhood places/locations that remind her of her past and photographs herself in the midst of the surrounding memories, fears and scars. The camera becomes her weapon of healing, giving her the safety of knowing it will never judge her recovery and her healing process.
Farida Soliman
What is a good design for you?
A good design is a design that makes me feel something; it makes me relate to it somehow. It could also challenge me in a way – I like it when designs are complex in shape and concept for instance; I tend to feel the effort behind them.
Who or what inspires you?
What inspires me the most are people and the effect they have on me; the experiences and sometimes very precious time I have with them. I find a lot of inspiration in my depressive days as well. It's when almost everyone can create art.
How do you approach a new project?
I always write down little notes on all devices I have, with ideas and the emotional connection/meaning I have to them. I inspire myself from other related projects and see how I feel towards seeing what I want to potentially create myself. Most of the time, I just start to photograph and learn by doing.
What advice would you give to students who just started studying in your programme?
Get the most out of your professors, they know what they are talking about. It's always best to start this study programme with an open mind and to be open to constructive criticism in order to grow. I would also make the best out of each and every class and make amazing projects!
Have you changed during your studies? How?
I have definitely grown with each project I finished. I was committed to getting the most out of myself because in the end, I am the one who chose to study photography. It would have been a pity to just take it lightly. I learned how to commit to a project completely and to go the extra mile. Photography taught me how to see people and how to see myself in a different light.
Why did you choose to study in your programme?
I've always been amazed by the many things photography is capable of as a medium. Mainly, I was always amazed by how I saw people through my camera; how the intensity of their value to me can be seen when I photograph them. I also liked how I saw myself through the lens. I was always able to see something in myself that I cannot see when looking at the mirror. I pose, I let myself go, I feel safe in front of the camera. There is always something there observing me with no judgement.
How are you going to celebrate your graduation?
Somewhere in the desert in Egypt, with Bedouins and friends.
