how using studio lighting to create meaning and atmosphere.I dedicated one hour to completing Tasks 1, 2, and 3 through hands-on practice.

I continued to practice how to develop film. Then I thought about the inspiration for the final project and collected relevant photography materials that interested me.

Inspiration: Oliver mayhall

I conducted a test shoot and invited Hanbo and Beichen as my models. My shooting concept is structured as follows:

1. First Image: Represents that their friendship still exists. Both of them sit on chairs, smiling at the camera. I took three shots and will select the most natural and joyful one.

2. Second Image: Both appear in the same mirror, and I capture their reflections. At this point, one person still looks happy, while the other appears visibly upset.

3. Third Image:I used black tape to divide the mirror into two separate parts, symbolizing the official breakdown of their friendship.

4. Fourth Image:One person sits in front of the mirror in a depressed state, while the other stands up and walks away.

5. Final Image:The scene consists only of two empty chairs and a broken mirror, representing the complete end of their relationship.

Since my props (broken mirror) had not arrived so I used a studio mirror instead, which meant I couldn't fully showcase the "broken mirror" effect. For my final work, I will physically break the mirror to create a more realistic and impactful representation. I’ve also found reference works and books related to this theme.

《Broken Promises》 (2018)

Contemporary photographer whose series Shattered Reflections features a woman standing before a shattered mirror, with blurred silhouettes of a separating couple reflected in the shards, symbolizing the collapse of promises.

Search “Broken Promises” on Saatchi Art.

2.Robert Mapplethorpe

《Love Withdrawn》 (1987, black-and- white photography)

Controversial artist this piece depicts two hands drifting apart in front of a

shattered mirror, metaphorizing the alienation of intimacy.

Exhibited at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.

3.Suzanne Saroff

《Perspective》 (2020)

In Lost Connection , fractured mirrors split an embracing couple into fragments through layered refractions, exploring disconnection.

Visit her Instagram @suzannesaroff or search “Suzanne Saroff Perspective series”.

4.Viviane Sassen

《Umbra》 (2012)

Dutch surrealist photographer; the model's face is obscured by broken mirrors reflecting a figure walking away, hinting at the end of a friendship.

Published in her photobook Umbra or Foam Museum.

5.Erik Johansson

《Breaking Apart》 (2016)

A digital composite of a couple

embracing before a cracked mirror, their reflections dissipating on either side of the fracture, symbolizing irreparable rifts. View on his Behance profile.

My ex-boyfriend and I tried to maintain a long-distance relationship for a year—he was studying in New York while I was in London—but it ultimately ended in a breakup. I want to tell the story of how incredibly difficult it was: we could only see each other through video calls every day, and most of our communication relied on texting. To keep the relationship alive, we flew back and forth between each other's countries many times. Yet, no matter how many messages we sent or how many plane tickets we accumulated, we couldn’t overcome the challenges. Living in different countries, adapting to different environments, and struggling with opposite time zones—these realities were unavoidable, and in the end, our story concluded with regret.

To visualize this, I want to depict the two of us reflected in a shattered mirror, symbolizing our broken relationship. Finally, I’ll use two empty chairs with torn-up plane tickets scattered over them to represent the definitive end of our love—the moment we chose to part ways for good.

For the installation, Sermon set up cameras above beds in two remote sites, meticulously adjusting their angles to capture clear images of the individuals lying on them. These visuals were transmitted via ISDN lines, converted into analog video signals through digital imaging technology, and then projected onto the opposing bed and monitor. As a result, people on separate beds in distant locations could see each other in real time—physically apart yet visually together, creating an illusion of shared space and interaction.

Though this form of communication couldn’t replicate physical touch, it fulfilled a visual desire for remote connection, offering audiences at the time a revolutionary way to transcend geographical barriers. The work not only demonstrated the limitless potential of new media art but also foreshadowed the widespread role of networked technology in human interaction. Thirty years later, looking back at Telematic Dreaming, we see how it expanded human relationships from physical to virtual spaces—while also prompting profound reflections on the ethics and spatial dynamics between humans and remote virtual counterparts.

Image credits: Paul Sermon, Welcome.jpeg

A long-distance relationship is like a spiritual practice—in every way possible. Dining with her, bathing with her, folding her clothes... In these whimsical virtual dialogues, Karman dissolves the boundary between loneliness and intimacy, yet a tinge of melancholy lingers.

Subjectivity

1. Personal Emotional Projection

- The work consistently employs a first-person perspective (with the artist appearing as model), directly conveying the creator's pain and regret through body language (e.g., waving during video calls) and object selection (specific flight tickets, printed chat logs).

- Symbolic techniques:

Broken mirror: Not documentary but a deliberate emotional metaphor, visually transforming "relationship breakdown" into violent imagery.

Torn tickets: Externalizing the internal decision-making process through destruction of physical objects, with strong performative qualities.

2. Narrative Control

- Selective presentation: Only shows romanticized struggles ("video calls", "flight tickets") while omitting specific breakup reasons (e.g., arguments), guiding viewers to empathize with "helplessness" rather than "right or wrong".

- Temporal compression: Condenses a year-long long-distance relationship into 5 photos, constructing a linear tragic narrative through "chat logs - tickets - empty chairs" to reinforce a sense of predestined failure.

Objectivity

1. Medium Materiality

- Technical details like pixelated video calls and printed fonts on tickets reflect the reality of long-distance relationships.

- Social media interfaces (WeChat/WhatsApp) in chat screenshots provide verifiable spatiotemporal references.

- Empty chairs and fragments emphasize the objective fact of "physical separation" rather than subjective feelings.

2. Social Evidence

- The work inadvertently documents common experiences of transnational couples:

* Time zone differences (juxtaposed London/NY clocks in photos)

* Economic costs (accumulated tickets as evidence of consumerism)

Interaction Between Subjectivity and Objectivity

- Pseudo-documentary paradox:

While appearing as "authentic documentation" (using personal belongings), it actually reconstructs memories through staged photography (e.g., the frozen quality of time-lapse shots).

- Audience interpretation:

Objective elements (e.g., number of flights) may be quantitatively interpreted differently across cultures - "Are 6 flights many or few?", while subjective elements (broken mirror) trigger universal resonance.