wake up!
April 2026
WAKE UP! is a shoot that I creative directed, shot, and designed based on my love for the eerie atmosphere of liminal spaces. The two parts of the shoot contrast each other greatly, yet explore the environments of dreams and nightmares-- taking foreign objects and obscure architecture into account while building an intriguing narrative.
Shot in one day, me and my lovely model, Myllah, ran around our university campus with balloons, cake, and bubbles to curate a foreign, yet familiar environment. The entire project took 3 days in total to shoot, edit, and design.
I always knew I wanted to curate a photoshoot based on my fascination on liminal spaces. This intrigue sharpened after writing a paper answering a research question: "Why do liminal spaces give off such a unique feeling in comparison to other environments, including other horror environments.
Answering this question, my thesis explains that liminal spaces give off a unique feeling in comparison to other environments– but in contrast to these horror-like settings, contemporary discussion of liminal spaces foregrounds their deviation from social-spatial expectations without an implied threat, luring the viewer in with nostalgia and familiarity.
The second half of this shoot ties in themes of nostalgia and forgetting. It takes a lighter (yet still uncanny) approach, as the girl explores a field. This liminal space deviates from the norm through foreign objects and obscure architecture, rendering confusing to the audience.
