Hernease Davis: On empathy in the darkroom

In this episode, we talk with Hernease Davis about empathy in the darkroom. Hearnease opens up about her use of photography to process, heal and take care of herself. The complexities of exhibiting work relating to vulnerable issues is explored as well as the topic of protection. Hernease discusses empathy in relation to trauma and the place of empathy in art history. The metaphor of walking in someone else’s shoes is deconstructed in order to depict empathy in a more nuanced way.  Hernease also gives advice about using photography for the pursuit of self-knowledge.

What you’ll find inside: 

“For the past ten years I’ve been crafting my practice to be a place where I can take care of myself. So like a psychological space and a safe place to imagine things that are metaphysically impossible in order to try and render a healing process for myself.” (3.20)

“Empathy actually started as an art historical term… empathy was started off as a way of appreciating art.” (25.23)

“You’ll never truly know what it is like to walk in their shoes or to be them and it’s ok to bring yourself in this idea of what empathy means.” (28.06)

“For me what it means to be seen is what you think of me as my surface is just the beginning. Ask me some questions, spend some time do a little bit of relating. It is also the way that I try to think about others as well.” (32.17)

What does photography ethics mean to Hernease?

“In my experience I have had the realisation that some people take photography personally, like too personally where it becomes their identity in some kind of way… I just approach it as it just is, it is and this is what photography has done. I can talk about it as a tool that has honestly saved my life but also has been a tool that has led to so many atrocities like genocide. That also has led to how we misread each other, how we misunderstand one another.” (37.24)

Links:

A Womb of My Own (Mistakes Were Made In Development)

A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf

Hernease Davis