Personal Mythologies // college // tiredbees by James Balderson

Brief:

I will photograph people on the street always making sure that; the subject and I are on public property. Then post them to my blog and print them with the following questions; Their profession? Their education level & where? Their likes & dislikes? Their tribe (Chav or Goth etc.) After this I will put together a grouping of objects and writings as well as the photographs, that I think represent this person, based solely on the rules set by the answers people have given to my questions on paper and on my blog. I want to do this because people interest me and how people, myself included judge others without even meeting or knowing them. This is why I can't answer the questions set above as I may have met them as apart of my photography. How the person's extrinsic persona reflects their reality or is it all just personal mythology. Again I'm doing this because I see interesting people in the street and at college, and I ask myself: What do they do? Who are they?

Personal Mythology 01

This woman works as a receptionist/administrator at a waitress agency's head office. She was educated up to degree level, and also has A-levels and NVQs, and doesn't feel at all fulfilled in her present role. She likes shopping for scarves and big handbags, after which she may go to the gym or have a glass of wine and a smoke with friends, where they bitch about chauvinist society, messy boyfriends and how there is only ever sport on T.V.

Personal Mythology 02

This postgraduate student and part time office worker is from Belgium where he gained his Bachelor Degree. He came to the UK to escape his controlling – if loaded - parents. He is currently studying for a Master's in Archaeology. He likes to show off his shiny new mobile as he buys cocktails for his 23-year-old supermodel girlfriend after a shopping trip for designer jeans. His enthusiasm for certain Sci-Fi shows has inspired him to be that one scholar who finally proves that all ancient human cultures were founded by space aliens.

Personal Mythology 03

Feeling trapped in her job as a sales assistant since dropping out of college, now even her pleasure in a good fag is diminished as she spends another rainy break smoking outside her place of work, with nothing to look forward to in the evening other than eating TV dinners at home in front of her TV. On Sundays she goes to her mother's for lunch, and "venting" about the rude customers of the week and the smoking ban.

Personal Mythology 04

This greengrocer plays the guitar at the weekend, which he has done since dropping out of Music College with only a couple of O levels in the early 70's. His dream is to talk on Radio 4 about the jolly songs he sings and writes. Instead he sits in the pub drinking ginger beer with his fellow buskers talking about last night's Eastenders on TV, and how the council is moving them on for Peruvian nose flute players because officials think they would deter the teenagers from loitering. There's always a silver lining.

Personal Mythology 05

This music student from a comfortable background is studying for a National Diploma in music, and plays in a heavy metal band, but feels frustrated because he prefers "grunge". He sits around at home drinking cider and smoking weed while listening to Nirvana and making a half-hearted effort to feel appropriately rebellious. He "fights back" by blogging about how the authorities can't deal with "the Chav problem" and the environment, but is quite put out when his latest rant earns him an invitation to join the Young Conservatives.

Personal Mythology 06

This housewife lives with her retired husband, or at least this is what she tells the state: in reality she's a benefits cheat. Living in council homes all her life, she's not as old she looks, her present appearance is part of how she tries to beat the system. In an effort to impress, she is quite quick to claim she 'did GCSEs', although actually failed to achieve any. Now she has a cooked breakfast with her best friend while watching 'This Morning' where she heard about - and now dreams of seeing - 'Cats' and 'The Full Monty' in the West End. She finds a pretext to leave the house everyday to get away from the Dutch gay couple who moved in next door and the immigrant shop keeper whose polite ways make her suspicious. She hopes for the day the Tory party are back in power and they make 'all that sort of thing' illegal.

Personal Mythology 07

This train spotting, civil servant (who at the weekend calls himself Mindy) originally hales from Birmingham where he went to school, gaining CSEs in Needlework and Domestic Science. This is where he started his love of arranging socks, by size, by shape and by colour. Now he lives in Didcot to fully benefit from the proximity of the railway junction, where he spends most of his free time in the Bingo Club drinking Pepsi - even when its not bingo night - and complaining about how strange people are.

Personal Mythology 08

This student bricklayer is studying for NVQ's in Plastering and Bricklaying. After college he'll go home to watch the football and drink beer with his friends or family.

Personal Mythology 09

This accountant works for a building firm, from Portsmouth where studied, played chess for money and followed Pompey. He's a bit of a loner and is often 'passive-aggressive' with strangers for some imagined slight or insult. Since his ego outstrips his intellect he is usually to be found flustered and embarrassed, his frustration fuelled by a changing world which he struggles to keep up with : he still can't work the mobile he daughter bought him to stay in touch.

Personal Mythology 10

This Science Teacher at the local secondary school helps out at the local library at the weekend. When she was at University studying for a joint honours degree in Biology and Librarianship, she leant to knit to save money on clothes; as a result she now knits everything possible, including a comfy saddle cover. She believes she is a witch and practises Wicker, and frequently wishes her ancient bicycle was a real flying broomstick. After helping at the library at the weekend, being a technophobe, she divides her time between her various hobbies, typically cooking, baking and creating potions while listening to Radio soaps. Towards the end of the evening she will often write letters to friends and family, usually about wool. Most weekends she can be observed delivering the fruits of her labours door-to-door on her bike, with a pannier full of cake and woolly jumpers: precious things not to be entrusted to either the public transport or postal system.

Personal Mythology 11

This part time personal shopper, part time bank cashier taught herself the former trade as she loves all forms of shopping, and loves the latter as it feels like playing with someone else's money. On her days off she typically enjoys a shopping spree, as she finds it a pleasant break from work and hates the thought of any of her clothes or possessions being less than new. She really doesn't like walking home, but somehow has never managed to afford a car.

Personal Mythology 12

This builder was originally trained in Motor Mechanics at the local technical college, and likes to fantasize that he is in the army by taking things just a little too seriously at the paintballing club. After a session he and any remaining friends would go to the pub for the rest of the day, smoking, drinking and at the outset making lies up about their sex lives and ending the night getting slightly emotional about their brilliant kids. At the weekend he'll go and watch QPR play.