Guarded Relic

Photographic series / selected work

Ordinary objects.
Personal stories.

A developing body of staged photography and compositing, using light, presence and absence to let a simple object carry a larger idea.

Begin with The Secret Chord
An acoustic guitar resting on a chair beneath a spotlight.
“Now I’ve heard there was a secret chord”

01 / Photographic series

The Secret Chord

A still, photographic response to the atmosphere and musical centre of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah.

Starting point
The phrase “the secret chord” became the visual starting point: an unseen piece of music suggested through a guitar, a chair and a pool of light.
Approach
Staged photography and image compositing. Individual elements are brought together to create a composed, slightly theatrical still life.
Series
A curated sequence of six photographic composites. Each image uses the same chair-and-spotlight setting to give an everyday object a more reflective presence.
Outcome
The guitar image was later developed into the Hallelujah poster.

The image sequence

Hair-cutting tools and a smock placed on a chair beneath a spotlight.
“She broke your throne and she cut your hair”
A cordless phone placed on a chair beneath a spotlight.
“It doesn’t matter which you heard”
White shoes placed on a chair beneath a spotlight.
“I know this room, I’ve walked this floor”
A blue suitcase placed on a chair beneath a spotlight.
“And I’ve seen your flag on the marble arch”
A framed family photograph placed on a chair beneath a spotlight.
“And remember when I moved in you”