The Other

**"The Other" Is a philosophical undertaking of the abject/horror, sitting with discomfort. film photography on fiber paper**

“The Other” is a collection of black and white prints on fiber paper. This project explores a figure meant to embody “the creature” or “the other,” deliberately confusing the viewer’s sense of what is real versus abject. There is no clear understanding of who or what the creature is. I intended to create an atmosphere of unease, to invoke fear while asking the viewer to sit with that discomfort and question where it comes from.

My interest in horror developed last semester as I began to read novels that approached the genre from different perspectives. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein wrote about the creature, though not fully human, who longs for connection in the human world. Yet his observations reveal that no matter how much one attempts to adapt, society imposes rigid boundaries that cannot be escaped.

Horror has always unsettled me; unable to sit through a full horror movie without turning away. I wanted to confront that fear and reimagine it as a possibility. These prints became an exploration of the “other” side of horror: its ties to identity, alienation, and empowerment.

There was a strong influence from artists and theorists who shaped my understanding of the abject. Photographer Kalliope Amorphous, for example, excavates the subconscious through dreamlike, surreal images. By overexposing her photographs, she creates blurred, haunting effects that embody alienation yet also beauty.

Similarly, Julia Kristeva’s Powers of Horror was an essay that deepened my perspective on the abject, the liminal space between life and death, self and other, where identity is disturbed and borders dissolve. In engaging with these ideas, I began to see horror not only as a genre that unsettles but also as one that can empower.

For marginalized communities, the abject mirrors lived experiences of being labeled as “other.” My prints attempt to visualize this connection, showing how horror can serve as a space of resistance and transformation. I want viewers to confront their discomfort, to consider what it reveals about themselves, and to reconsider their own perceptions of horror.