PIERROT IN THE MODERN WORLD
Conceived as a surreal theatrical narrative in five acts, these environmental portraits were shot in a single session, and include both color and monochrome photographs. The story follows Commedia character Pierrot (played by actor and director Audrey Rumsby), as he tries to navigate the modern world, where he finds himself adrift and alone, at odds with everything around him.
This series is a parable about isolation, about being out of phase with one’s surroundings. Pierrot comes into our space full of expectation, but finds nothing familiar—nothing of his time has survived (not even Colombina). Neither does he encounter anyone who might connect with him. In the end, he withdraws, forlorn and overcome by the realization of being surplus to requirements.
If we treat the character of Pierrot as a placeholder, and substitute any other name, these scenes reveal something more: the all-too-common experience of everyday life in which the physical presence and relatability of other human beings has been replaced by digital abstractions, and loneliness is the new normal.