My room provides me with solace and is a safe space for me to disconnect from the world and observe silently. I am the gatekeeper to this room, holding all its secrets. I use the concept of BeReal, an app considered to be a more positive, healthy and intimate social media platform. The app has no filters, provides no background history of the participants, automatically starts afresh every day, and does not show social statuses such as followers or any other personal details. Furthermore, one must be actively involved, requiring one to be both the participator and the observer, as the pictures of friends in the outside world only become accessible when users upload a picture of themselves, simultaneously.
BeReal gives a positive spin to an old idea, creating a safer space to connect and instantly share pictures of one’s life with close friends. The concept behind this technological advancement is derived from the theme of mirrors and windows: photographers who use the medium of photography as a mirror to express their inner selves, and photographers who choose photography as a window open to exploring the world. The app brings these two forms together. The snapshot posted by individual participants reflects the personal inner perspective of the individual, but when collated with the photographs of the other friends it provides a window into the collective reality of the friends. This project documents this interactive experience between oneself and others in relation to the world.
At a personal level, this app has encouraged me to take photos every day, to explore my inner creativity through the medium of photography. I started finding the beauty in the simple everyday small things around me that I had always taken for granted. Looking at my world daily with a fresh new perspective and visually communicating my thoughts and feelings has opened a window into the world. During the pandemic, I became more conscious of my physical and mental well-being and the importance of finding a balance within my inner self and with the outside world. During lockdown, in my forced state of solitude, I began a process of self-discovery which led me to re-evaluate my relationships with the outside world. The study explores the merging point between the world inside my room and the outside world. The project is presented as a book, so it is a continued series of photos.