Long before Barbie the movie, I made a series of photographs that had hints of “thoughts of impending death barbie” and “anxiety barbie”. It was around 2004/2005 and I was enrolled at the University of Houston for my BFA. I was taking a beginning or intermediate photo class, eyeing the photography and digital media program. I’m not sure what project prompted this series (maybe something about lighting?), but I still had my childhood barbies tucked away in a giant box (complete with RV, house, accessories, clothes, etc.) and I went all in staging scenes with them.
This 10+ photo series shows Barbie and Skipper situated at home in various moments of disarray. Mostly pensive, usually just out of frame, and primarily lying down on the floor or bed they show what I envisioned as “thoughts of impending death barbie” and “anxiety barbie”. The vacuum and Carta Blanca add a nice touch.
All photos are silver gelatin prints, meaning these were shot on 35mm film that I developed and then printed in a darkroom on Ilford Multigrade RC paper.
