Olivia Hunter Photography

Fragmented Fables explores the idea of a broken narrative within the visual world based on my past and on-going struggle with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. The project consists of photographs dependent on narrative tropes that are also found within this disorder; such as fragmentation, duality, and repetition. The images do not show specific actions grounded in reality but instead act as metaphorical representations of the obsessions and compulsions of this disorder.

Books were my refuge as a child, until Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder began to creep into the pages. Words like death, murder, and suicide sent my body into patterns of ritualistic blinking, holding my breath, or tapping, to pacify the intrusive thoughts that I would cause harm to myself or someone else. Because of this, I spent my time piecing together stories that I could never finish. My mind became filled with fragmented characters repeating the same actions, with no hope of moving forward. As a child, I never read a story about a hero with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and as an adult I have found very few photographic projects that represent this disorder. The photographs in this series represent the broken stories that are trapped in my mind.

Counting is a key component of OCD. The rituals are often repeated an arbitrary number of times depending on what number the brain has decided will be associated with death, life, harm, illness, etc. In this project, the images repeat the numbers five for the five digits of the hand and the number four for when the hand is fragmented. Five eggs become five fingers; four stones become four string circles. The numbers create a maze for the viewer to follow, getting trapped within the ritualistic counting and repetition that is fundamental to OCD. In my work, the hands represent the power to complete daily tasks, the act of counting, the dual nature of the body, and obsession. The hands are my metaphorical vehicle for showing this disorder visually.

The following is a small selection of the images from this project.