Amanda Sinclair

‘Schreachag Choille,

SCREAMER OF THE WOODS’

Predominantly concerned with a dream state that occurs in experiences of sleep paralysis and post-traumatic stress disorder, the project explores the relationship between the stability of sanity and decline into fantasy, which to the sufferer of this condition can result in hallucinations and insomnia.

This series is intended to reveal an encounter between the subconscious and our inner fears. My work is inspired by a personal account of post-trauma which resulted in many years of living with this illness.

Recalling past memory, I created a series of digital multi-layered images to characterise the aesthetics of often frightening visions with a cinematographic presence.

This project was first visualised in 2019 and completed in 2021. I had been immersed in 19th century art and literature research for an exhibition and was fighting personal ill health. The imagery in Victorian memento mori resonated with my need to produce a series of photographs that portrayed a state of mind during a perilous period in my personal life.

The final collection of photographs is a testament to my personal experience, which has become a strategy in overcoming a period of traumatic encounter, resulting in a balance of fine art photography and therapeutic process.