A PHOTOGRAPHIC LOVE LETTER: I’D LIKE TO GET TO KNOW YOU
DENIZ AKKAYA
Shot over five summer months in rural Devon, I’d like to get to know you is an intimate document of her relationship with her sister, Alida…
Set during a summer in rural Devon, I’d like to get to know you is an exploration of the tentative foray into a new relationship. Francesca turns her gaze curiously on her younger sister Alida, but not without hesitation. Growing up, the traditional sibling bond has felt elusive. The series documents the sisters tiptoeing around each other with a palpable tension, a push and a pull, opening up and later holding back; relationships are not linear.
The resulting body of work paints a vivid and sun-soaked picture of a complex yet flourishing relationship with changing dynamics, not only in how Francesca sees Alida, but how Alida sees herself.
The photobook includes 42 images shot over five summer months in rural Devon; an exhibition of the same name is currently on show at London’s 10 14 gallery, until 24 April.
“I started photographing Alida when I first picked up a camera – she was kind of who was there,” explains Allen. “I got a digital point and shoot for my birthday – I must have been 14 – and the first pictures on there are of her. They’re these really weird flash pictures, quite experimental with a lot of Photoshop.”
Styling by Claire Lemaigre, Book Design by EYM Studio, Retouch by Hempstead May
