Type: Gallery
Category: Our graduates

Zoe Harrison, a Photography graduate, has been featured in the September issue of the prestigious British Journal of Photography (BJP).

Zoe's work entitled This Bloodline of Mine has been selected for the Class of 2018 in Projects section, in which the best photography graduates from the UK and Ireland are picked and interviewed by renowned photographer Laia Abril.

This Bloodline of Mine encapsulates Zoe's family history within Northern Ireland, in particular her ancestral connection to the sectarian conflict. Zoe explained: "This year is the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, the agreement that my mother and father refer to as the symbol of hope for Northern Ireland and my family.

"My family are not only a mix of Protestants and Catholics, I have ancestors who were members of the IRA, the Police Force and Leaders of the Orange Order. With all their differences, they still had a common denominator, they stood up for what they believed in, in a variety of ways."

Zoe's family have married across the divide for three generations, rejecting the expectation to hate each other, an aspect that shines through in her project. Zoe reflects: "My family's gentle declaration of love through the generations were met, in some quarters, with everything from questioning looks to disownment. This strength and belief in their decisions is something I aspire to have. I wanted the images to remain subtle and quiet to reflect these gentle acts of protest."

September's BJP issue focuses on the female gaze, a term that refers to the gaze of the female viewer, character and even the director. It is often used in the spheres of film and photography, and the September issue features a number of photographers who have explored the facet in their work, such as Organ Vida and Charlotte Jansen.

Speaking on her involvement, Zoe said: "Being in the BJP has been a dream of mine for years, and I never thought it would come true as soon as I left university. I cried when I got the email, it makes me feel like I can really do this!

"Falmouth gave me the confidence to actually follow my passion for photography. It introduced me to shooting analogue which is now my go-to technique. It brought me to London to speak to some incredible people about my project. In short, Falmouth gave me a belief in myself."

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