We are pleased to present a feature on Sophie-Mai Pemberton, a Cardiff-based photographer who was invited to create an image. The brief resulted in a new image for her ongoing series titled YOU & I.
Pemberton studied a Bachelor of Arts Photography in the Arts at Swansea College of Arts with University of Wales Trinity Saint Davids. Currently, she is studying a Masters in Contemporary Dialogues Photography at Swansea College of Arts with University of Wales Trinity Saint Davids.
As a photographic artist, Sophie processes an existence through a peculiar eye. As an autistic individual, she explores personal relationships through a documentary narrative. A connection to an individual is an overstimulation of both mind and body. Is the mentality of a partnership worth the risk?
Sophie explores the connections that play a fundamental aspect in building a stable partnership. This narrative is a collection of all the good and the bad that follows a relationship.
My reason for creating the images is to create a new element within my practice. I aim to explore another aspect of personal relationships. As an autistic individual, I struggle with the concept of relationships, the social, mental, and physical as well as the communication that comes with making it work. My partner is a cross-dresser, and as a man, he struggles with the emotional and physical aspects of his body. Through photography, I am documenting our relationship, and how the dynamic of each other’s mentality dictates the rest of the day. These images stand for love, acceptance, respect, and power.
Sophie attempts to see what a reality without complications can look like. This methodology has allowed Sophie to portray the multiple layers within a solitary society, and to explore autism within a new chapter.
Find out more about Sophie-Mai Pemberton here.