Robyn Stacey is a still life photographer who is highly influenced by Dutch still-life painters from the sixteenth century. She uses objects the significance of certain show history, culture and meaning within her compositions. I find this to be extremely thought-provoking, as the images are acting as a form of education towards whatever type of scene she was working about.

Robyn Stacey created a staged composition depicting books and objects that explore social and cultural icons and influences. Mark Kimber also assembled objects to take on symbolic façades for aspects of life and drama.

I found this quote in a dissertation from 2019, the author was referring to Stacey’s ‘Table of Industry, 2009’ work from her collection ‘Empire Line’. The image contains a load of books stacked upon one another which Stacey had found in a historical artefacts collection. She placed the books in a way to be able to convey her own personal meaning towards the historical and culturing meaning the books give out.

Visually, this image looks like someone’s desk that I would most likely see either in a film or in an old house. It sort of reminds me of my Nan’s old house in France as she has a table full of old educational books, interestingly whenever I see these books it reminds me of how highly intelligent and educated my Nan is, so to me this whole ensemble does scream out education and knowledge to me. I am not sure if this is the exact message that Stacey wished to convey, but this is what I get from it.

I feel my motive behind creating the work I am currently doing is quite influenced and similar to that of Stacey’s. The still lives themselves both create very different atmospheres, although the aesthetic and lighting are very similar. The ideas behind producing such setups have a very similar motive. Stacey wishes to present education and cultural messages, whereas I wish to transmit a more story-based message, although even if my work is predominantly fiction, it is part of Greek culture and so is also educational.