Glitterati Syndicate: Exploring Human Intimacy Through Photography

Have you ever literally gushed with pride? On Friday night at The Biscuit Factory, an infamously trendy Leith bare-brick venue, I became immersed into the result of months of blood, sweat and tears and I was totally floored by my desire to brag to everyone I know about the hard work and talent of my incredible friends. Here, discover more about 'Human Intimacy', an exhibition of original photography by the Glitterati Syndicate, a collective of young female photographers in Edinburgh, and my bestest buddies.

The photography exhibition features the photographic works of Charlotte Fitton, Beathan Halbert, Rowan Knox, Skye Lyon and Simone Reid, who are passionate about exploring what intimacy is, where it is present, and how important it's existence or lack of may be within life, culture, society, health and relationships.

Beneath the Flesh | Beathan Halbert

'Beneath the Flesh' was produced with the intention of probing the human relationship with food. The series derives its content from the artist's personal experience and gathered accounts of strained relationships with food, in particular, the issues surrounding eating disorders. The decay of the tightly grasped fruit denotes symbolic ideas of illness, sin and corruption tied to contemporary issues of mental health, and the traditional position of fruit in high art is a metaphor for temptation, and guilt.

Overall, the amalgamation of pop culture references and fine art photography studies creates a fascinating insight into the exceedingly intimate role of food within the human psyche.

Oneiria | Charlotte Fitton

'Oneiria' (defined here as 'a land of dreams') is an exploration of the human subconscious and the mind's intricate imagination; composite visual artworks depicting the creativity of dreams.The works depict a typology of real dream journals, with the artist's interpretation of each dream depicted above in digital illustration using light and projection.

The project raises the question of how one begins to communicate something as intangible as a dream, and the intimate processes of attempting to share what is seen in the subconscious imagination with another individual.

Psuedo-Revelations | Rowan Knox

Sexuality, desire and divinity come together in two triptychs, combining sculpture and photography in a work that explores physical intimacy as a form of worship.

'Pseudo-Revelations', which mimics spiritual imagery through the positioning of the hands and the references to Michelangelo and Botticelli and the display of the piece on an altar, follows a narrative of a relationship between two intertwining halves, starting with the yearning for physical connection and ending with embrace and fulfillment; the halves become a whole.

Lost and Found | Simone Reid

'Lost and Found' is a documentation of objects and space that share the stories of three individuals with a beautiful ability to preserve an emotional connection to a lost loved one through aspects of the material world.

While the locations are shot in delicate, large format film, the objects themselves are captured digitally in order to explore the contrast between new and old, slow and fast, living and dying. This project combines the digital and analogue forms to create a visual anthology of the 'presence of absence' in our lives.

#Intimate | Skye Lyon

'#Intimate' explore the evolution of human intimacy in the technological age and our complex feelings toward inanimate gadgets. The collection of portraits portrays subjects in varying tones of blue and green to represent screens and tech, and warmer tones to reflect love and desire.

These photographs formulate a series that discusses the emotional connection being formed with objects, and the increasingly interactive relationships with technology; which begins to question the future of intimacy between human and machine.

'Human Intimacy' by the Glitterati Syndicate is showing until Thursday 12th April 11am-5pm at The Biscuit Factory, 4-6 Anderson Place, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 5NP
Find out more: https://www.facebook.com/events/521364454930821/

Header and footer images shot by Cirstyn Brown