"Look Into My Eyes" - An Update
 

Hi everyone!

Glad to see the site is back online! Some of you will know me already, but I'll re-introduce myself just to be sure.
My name is Jodhi, I am studying documentary photography with the Magnum photography agency in Paris, although I am originally from South Africa. I have been working on a project for the last five months - so far I've met with 3 DO's in the UK and 3 in France. It is a photography based project (the outline for the project can be found below)

Many love doll owners have been very open with me and in whatever way I can, I want to be open and allow for other perspectives to influence how I am approaching this project. It is imperfect, it is a work in progress.
It is also just a fair thing to do, to not keep hidden what I am asking people to participate in. I recognize that I have asked for a lot, and there are others who are also asking, so there is no pressure to respond - just a space for those who want to share any thoughts and feedback, whether that is publicly here or through a private message.

My hope is to continue working on this. As I meet more people and photograph more, I can portray a more complex and more impactful representation. Of course I am still learning as well, and I want to allow what I learn to change the way I photograph and what pictures feel important. When the project is completed, making a book or participating in gallery exhibits seem like the best medium for people to receive my project in a thoughtful way. There is a small exhibit happening at the Magnum Gallery in Paris starting May 9th! Anyone is welcome to visit.

I have written a short text as a placeholder, it is the following:

"Look Into My Eyes" is an ongoing documentary project highlighting the intimacy and companionship between people and love dolls. The people photographed live with their dolls in a similar fashion to what we would see in conventional couples - domestic, sexual and romantic scenes play out. The approach to connecting with a love doll is likely familiar to us. For many of us, we have spent long hours creating the lives of our action figures, pets, and dolls. Life is breathed into them as we imagine their personality, speak with them, act out scenarios and create memories together. These objects become the personification of different parts of ourselves, our desires and the attachment we long for with others. This story is about a group of people seeking to create a source for the things that they long for. More importantly, it demonstrates the ubiquitous and foundational needs of intimacy, connection and feeling understood."

I have asked permission from each person photographed to post the images. This is a smaller selection, just to show a general idea of how I am approaching things.

Thank you!

Jodhi

Hi Jodhi, I'm glad to hear things are going well with your project. It was a pleasure to be part of it :D

Thanks Lulu! I hope we get to meet up again some time in the future!