Sophie
Participatory Portrait
She was
unstable
Sophie spent years in a relationship where constant access to her was framed as closeness and care. Over time, the line between love and control became harder to see.
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Sophie was in a long-distance relationship for eight years. What began as intense closeness gradually became a life organised around constant contact.
Calls could last for hours. Video calls continued while she slept. Her time, attention and availability became expected, and when she struggled with that pressure, the problem was repeatedly placed back onto her.
She was described through words like over-reacting, sick and difficult, while the behaviour around her was presented as love and concern. Sophie was also diagnosed with BPD during this period, which became another lens through which her reactions could be dismissed.
Eventually, she began recognising how much of herself had been shaped around keeping someone else comfortable. Her story is about learning to separate care from control, and trusting her own experience again.
THE DESTRUCTION
Under the Lens
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About the Work
2026
Acrylic on canvas
I placed Sophie beneath a painted camera lens, turning the portrait into something being watched, assessed and interpreted.
Around the lens, where brand names and technical information would normally sit, I used the words that had been used to diminish her: over-reacting, sick, problem and other judgements from her story.
The piece reflects the feeling of being constantly observed through somebody else’s version of who you are, until their interpretation starts to replace your own.