7 Rooms

I didn’t imagine that I would become so engrossed in the work of Rafal Milach when I was first instructed to watch a presentation of his photo book “7 Rooms.” At first, when I began to watch Jörg Colberg present the work, I was not drawn in to it as I felt disconnected from the subject matter. The images and scenes depicted a world so far removed from my own, that they almost felt made up. Like a movie set that had been constructed in a distant country that I would never visit.

But then Colberg turned turned the page and a portrait of a woman wrapped in a white blanket appeared. This struck me as both an aesthetic and subject matter that I could relate to, and that related to my project. That woman, with her flat gaze, staring out of frame at something (or nothing.) That woman, wrapped in the safety of the familiar blanket. That woman, with her expression that I was unable to pin down (boredom? annoyance? uncertainty?) That woman represented how I feel. 

(Above) Images from the series “7 Rooms” by Rafal Milach.

From there, I explored more of Milach’s work. Although I am instantly drawn to the simplicity and structure of the images, I feel that the vast difference in my surroundings and those depicted in the images would make it hard to replicate that same desolate feel (the house that I am staying in at the moment has too much junk.) I was also influenced by a small collection of works from the series “In The Car With R,” particularly the faded photographs, and scans of notebooks and journals. I would like to investigate incorporating a similar feel into my project, as I feel that this type of imagery can support and enhance a body of work, particularly if it is diaristic in nature. I like the faded ares of the photographs- and I feel that not revealing everything can sometimes say more about a subject that if that subject was completely clear and pin sharp.

(Above) Images from the series “In The Car With R” by Rafal Milach.

Although I have just begun to conceptualise my work, it is important to consider the final product. Of course, I would like to curate a printed photobook of my work, but I am also considering how to show my series as a set of hung images. I really like the way that “In The Car With R” is presented in a range of sizes and layouts. I would like to play with scale in the presentation of my own final piece.

“In the Car With R” hanging at LA Art Museum / Hveragergi, Icealnd 2011

Milach, R 2013, 7 Rooms, photographic series, viewed 02 April 2020 <http://rafalmilach.com/7-rooms>

Milach, R 2012, In The Car With R, photographic series, viewed 02 April 2020 <http://rafalmilach.com/in-the-car-with-r>