'Rebuilt' Final Major Project Photographs

Rebuilt:

"16th January 2016; the day my life was put on hold. These images are from my phototherapy self-portraits series, called Rebuilt. After a near fatal car crash, I broke my humerus in three places and I was warned I might never fully recover. Relying on 24hour personal care, I felt useless and depressed. Now a year on and 4 plates of titanium and 9 screws later, I am rebuilt. This image is a reminder for me to never give up!"

    

Major Project

Submerged

“This image represents the debris of the crash. I regained consciousness with my head hanging out of the window. Afterwards, I found all sorts of wreckage in my jacket – glass, twigs, leaves.”

Shattered

“This photograph represents the cuts and bruises from the crash. I was aiming to show my injuries in a subtle way here.”

Trapped

“This shows my initial fear of surgery. They told me I might not be able to use my arm again. This shows I’d lost control over the situation, as well as my independence.”

Scar

“This image displays the turning point for me. I’d undergone the surgery and had the cast removed. People said to me ‘you should be proud of this, it’s your survival scar. It shows you’re still here, and you’re still beautiful.”

Healing

“This image is pretty self-explanatory, it shows my healing and progression with the use of flowers blooming next to my scar. This photograph was also trying to represent my nerve endings repairing themselves.”

Fighting For Survival

“I took this photograph to demonstrate the support I’d had from both family and friends. Throughout the process, I suffered from depression and I started to give up hope. I didn’t want to believe I wasn’t going to get better, I was determined to not let this get the better of me. This image conveys me pulling through the traumatic event; I’m a fighter.”

Broken

“This is me reflecting on everything that had happened. Although I was broken, I wanted to show this situation has not changed me. I’m still the person I once was.”

Nurturing

“The crash really shook me up and changed my outlook on life. This photograph is trying to summarise how I am going to protect myself from now on. I am going to start looking after myself better and be proud of my survival scar.”