We’ve been following fine art photographer Kirsty Mitchell for years as she revealed new chapters of her enchanting Wonderland series. The self-proclaimed “artist with a camera” released image after image of the extraordinary series, giving us a glimpse of the amount of work that goes into each piece. Now, with the completion of the series, the gifted artist is working on releasing everything as a photo book in memory of her late mother, the woman who inspired the series to begin with.
“She was an English teacher, and her life’s great passion was literature and storytelling,” the artist writes. “After I lost her I struggled greatly, I was unable to remember her without being haunted by the memories of the hospital. So I found myself regressing to the happier times of us sharing the unusual books she constantly collected for myself, and the generations of children who passed through her classroom doors. In the months that followed, I decided to track down some of those original editions, completely unprepared for the emotional impact they would have as I held them in my hands once again. Slowly the concept of creating an unexplained storybook without words dedicated to her, began to form. It felt like the perfect way to celebrate who she was as a person and the legacy she left behind. It was the faded fragments of the book’s illustrations, mixed up with dreams and my experiences through grief that eventually formed the narrative of the series. Ultimately it became a strange and beautiful place to remember and forget, both in the same bittersweet moment.”
Through this phenomenal, deeply personal, and otherworldly series, Mitchell celebrates her mother’s literary life. To preserve her work and the memory of her mother, the artist is now in the process of self-publishing a photo book. In collaboration with acclaimed book designer Stuart Smith, Mitchell has launched a Kickstarter campaign, in an effort to give life to this detailed dreamworld and share it with a wide audience. The book has already been fully funded and not only surpassed its initial goal of 70k, but nearly doubled in just a matter of days. There’s still a little under a month left to contribute and get a copy of the book for yourself.
Also, make sure to watch Mitchell’s behind-the-scenes video, below, to take a peek inside her brilliant, creative mind.
Kirsty Mitchell: Website | Facebook | Kickstarter
My Modern Met granted permission to use photos by Kirsty Mitchell.