Lov'yer / Marta Kochanek
The history of humanity has recorded hundreds and thousands
of romances and mésalliances of all kinds. The world witnesses love between
people of all nationalities and races. This planet gives room to those
attracted to people of the same, opposite and both genders. It is how this
world is constructed. It is how it always was.
Love is what motivates us in life. Brain science tells
us it is a drive-like thirst. The ancient Greeks called love, “the madness of
the gods”. Modern psychologists define Love as the strong desire for emotional
union with another person.
We dig deeper and deeper into brain science, physics and
psychology to understand what drives us to name our emotions, to describe
feelings. We are desperate to find it; to experience, cherish and keep it. We
succeed and we lose. Some people beg for love, some pay for it and some are
just lucky to find their second half in this big and richly-populated
world.
People love. People cheat. People judge. People are brutal.
People search for attraction and attention, sex and lust, deep union and
long-term partners.
We find love to be inspiring. We look for lovers to make it
all fresh and intense again.
For my new Lov'yer project, I portrayed
seven relationships that are formed by both the majority and minorities of the
whole population that occupies this world. I contrasted old and young, curvy
and slim, black and white, straight and gay. Following my research I found
it fascinating to observe and read about lovers, cougars, sugar-daddies,
gigolos, adorers, secret admirers and cohabitants. I realised that what
happens to be silly to the majority can be normal to a minority. What is obscene to
millions can truly be a blessing to the others. What can be a blessing to one
group of people; can also be a motive for hate or crime for the others.
One of my first discoveries and sources of inspiration
was the Ain Sakhri lovers’ figurine, which is the oldest representation of a
human couple making love in the world. It is 11,000 years old and is very
significant. If we were to translate my surname from Polish to English, it
would only mean Lover. The word is recorded from the earliest English writers
in the 8th century. As for the title I purposely chose an
obsolete (Middle English) form of lover.
#love #relationship #romance ##judgement #rejection #gay #straight #old #young #curvy #slim #challenge #personalproject
Credits:
Executive Producer / Marta Kochanek
Production Manager / Evie Branka
Production Assistant / Barbara Gibson and Adam Fray
Photography Assistant / James Beddoes
Photography Assistant / Ian Jones
HMUA / Gemma Howard - Masters
HMUA / Zaneta Swiatlowska
HMUA / Joanna Stokes
Stylist / Danijela Vunduk
Talents /
Joseph Ladlow / Loula Gather / Sarah Powell / Will Keetch / Nicola Griffin /
Raife Connolly Maddox / Ian Hencher / Adam Lee Mroz / Steven Voss /
Ifeoma Obi / Theodore Griffiths / Dammie Howe / Lizzie, Tony and Freddie Bayliss
Marta Kochanek