Other Joys
Other Joys is a body of work that explores the intensity of my special interests through self-portraits, post-documentary approaches and constructed imagery. Special interests are common within the autistic community, varying from person to person, but the joy they provide is ineffable. They are not obsessions but instead highly focused passions that provide self-regulation, relief from the outsideworld and structure that can be relied on.
The making of the work acts as a way for me to understand my autism better. Throughout, there are visual comments on my own autistic traits, such as my need for rigid routine and my innate ability to constantly mask my autism. Simultaneously, the work nods to the idea that there is still a desperate need for further autistic representation, especially in relation to autistic women.
The process of making these photographs provides me with a safe space to be my true self, allowing me to unmask and experience my autistic joy to the fullest. What was once a fear of being deemed different and unusual has now become a celebration of self-acceptance and understanding.
Alice Poyzer is a British photographer based in Lincolnshire. Working across documentary, constructed imagery and both analogue and digital photography, her recent practice explores neurodivergence through new visual narratives. Her work has been exhibited at Paris Photo through the Carte Blanche Award and at the Museum of Warsaw in collaboration with The Photographer’s Gallery. Since completing an MA in Photography at the University of the West of England, Poyzer has received the British Journal of Photography Female in Focus Award for Other Joys. The series has been exhibited at the Glasgow Gallery of Photography and London’s 1014 Gallery. She is the inaugural artist in residence at the Paul Smith Foundation and a recipient of Vogue‘s Women by Women Vision Grant.