Who are you?
My name is Anna Block, I was born in 1982 and grew up in Moscow. I am currently studying in the Czech Republic for my MA. I use photography as a space where I can mix my fantasies and desires with what is called reality.
Tell us about the project you presented at Hothouse
I presented part of my Night Crossing series mixed with some other single images – it is a realisation of my long-lasting interest in an inner life of a person, something that can be called subterranean streams – fears, desires, dreams... This project is an attempt to express how those inner drives manifest themselves in a corporeal world of a body. Working on the project triggered my more focused interest in nature and I shifted to another big work Elements where I try to look at a human being through complex life of natural forces.
Tell us about your experience presenting at Hothouse
When I was presenting at Hothouse it was only about a month since I moved to UK so it was a great experience to meet with a new audience. Any time you show your work within a new context you have to look at it differently and to present it differently, generally to rethink it.
What are you up to now?
I am experimenting now with little self-published books and as soon as I finish my MA I plan to focus on my Elements project, hopefully it will be realised in a proper book in the future.
Our next Hothouse event takes place on the 18th June in Manchester.