Vox
This project was a personal endeavour for Trieu after she had experienced personal loss. Vox was her attempt at giving a voice of identity to the part of herself that she initially rejected. Originally the project was supposed to feature herself wearing a mask she had created as a way of coping with her grief. While performing in front of a camera with it, it suggested a symbiotic relationship between herself and the identity that the mask held. It was later removed as it no longer felt conducive to the direction the project was leading, as having the mask in the images suggested that there were two distinct identities present – when in fact the revelation was about having acceptance of oneself and how one changes
under traumatic stress.
By using a simple white sheet and flailing around in the dark, Trieu created a piece of work that suggests an internal struggle with having to accept what you become. She is challenging what we know about ourselves and our capacity to embrace changes to our identity.
Project by
Sammy Trieu
Based in London, Sammy Trieu is a Media and Photography student whose work revolves
around subjects of her identity. Being of Chinese/Vietnamese heritage and born in the UK to
a large family, she has made works that depicts her relationship with them, and the innate
struggle of balancing her split heritage that every person born to an immigrant family faces.
Though her interests are in identity, her works often feature faceless images which convey
to viewers her inner world. Usually fantastical, it brings up questions on how one chooses to
understand and conduct themselves within the current reality that we exist in. Her art
practice extends to making animal masks made from gummed tape and cardboard. The
have been worn in previous photoshoots. She is currently experimenting with resin as a
form of preservation and observation by encapsulating banal objects, such as organic
material or broken ceramic. she hopes that her practices can reify her id in such a way that
it connects with others.
BA Media, Culture & Identity/Photography
Year of Study: 3
Core Programme
BA Photography
