Published by Thames & Hudson, The Domestic Stage: When Fashion Comes Home is an intimate look into fashion photography taken within lived-in spaces, marrying fashion imagery and the “uncurated” home. Featuring both fashion editorials and documentary-style photography, the 224-page book not only spotlights the diversity of image-making in its current climate but also gives readers a deeply personal look into its subjects’ private lives and relationships.
Since the ’90s, fashion photography has seen a shift away from the glitz and glam of the high-end shoot, and into the more intimate practice of taking pictures at home; the home often serving as the antithesis of the high-brow. Armed with a refreshed level of authenticity, imagery taken at home reveals more about its subjects than a studio shoot ever could.
As such, The Domestic Stage comprises the words and works of 22 visual artists – including Nigel Shafran, International Magic, Carrie Mae Weems and 10 Magazine contributor Tierney Gearon – each of whom have been at the heart of this transition. Included inside for example, is Weems’ 2024 Bottega Veneta campaign, wherein A$AP Rocky can be seen enjoying time with his children at, of course, home (this also serves as the cover of The Domestic Stage). Although each photographer comes from a distinctly different background, they all share the belief that shooting in domestic spaces is both empowering and inventive. Many contributing photographers even shot subjects that they knew personally, allowing for a distinctive portrayal that lingers beyond the pages.
Most of the featured artists appear here, in conversation with author, curator, researcher and lecturer Adam Murray. As an authority on photography and fashion image, Murray’s meticulous curation of the book offers readers a history of photographing domestic spaces, interviews with image-makers and a collection of evocative imagery. Here, we sat down with Murray to chat about his time working on the book, the intimacy of the photography within and the role home environments play in fashion photography.
Photography by Carrie Mae Weems
What did you learn about photography in the process of curating this book that you didn’t know before?
I always learn so much more from speaking with each image maker rather than just relying on secondary research, so it was important for me to interview as many of the contributors as possible. It’s not just about the photography, but also their life experiences and what motivates them to make work.
How did you go about selecting the images that are included in the book? Aside from them being set in the domestic space, what did you want these images to communicate and how did you want readers to feel after looking at them?
I began by identifying photographers that are consistently engaging with domestic space and that have made work in a fashion context. Following this, I had a conversation with each contributor to identify work that was best suited. I already had a relationship with some of the contributors through my role at Central Saint Martins and knew their work very well, others I was familiar with, but I met them for the first time through this project. As we began talking about the theme, some would suggest work that I had not seen before, for example, Tierney Gearon’s work for Details.
I think the images included demonstrate the range of opportunities that domestic space offers the photographers to make work that addresses themes of biography, lifestyle and identity. Hopefully readers can relate to some of these themes.
What struck you the most about how each photographer views the domestic space in their work? Were there things you found surprising?
I’m not sure I was surprised by this as the premise of the book is how vital these spaces are, but I was fascinated by the way each photographer was able to articulate the role that domestic space has in their lives and the work they make.
Included in the book are images from high fashion editorials as well as ones that feel more documentary-driven. Why was it important to you to include a range of images like this and how do you feel they each offer a different perspective on the domestic space?
The range of aesthetic styles showcases the diversity of image making today. The book begins with an introduction that explains the precedents that have informed this work and that image makers have a strong awareness of visual language and the meaning that it can generate. I also highlight how you can trace the history of photography through technology and the impact each technological development has on aesthetics. Each photographer makes decisions on how they want to make their work in the way that they feel best communicates their intentions.
Photography by Tierney Gearon
How do you feel the impact of the domestic space changes when an image is capturing a personal relationship (mother and child, for example) in comparison to models cast for a fashion editorial?
The first chapter of the book is titled ‘Relationships’, it examines the way that the home becomes a site for the development and experiencing of intimate and authentic relationships, but also the role photography has in recording these relationships. The photographers develop a profound awareness of how the relationships are formed and how people behave. They are then able to use this understanding when constructing scenes with models that they do not already know. However, it’s important to realise that with a lot of the work in the book, the photographers are actually photographing people that they already have a relationship with, it is part of the reason the photographer has been commissioned.
Within the book, you track the history of the domestic space within fashion photography – what is something that has stood out to you about how people have treated it throughout time? Were there similarities or differences you didn’t foresee?
I think there are similarities in how personal and vulnerable the image makers are. Domestic space feels like a site where they are able to push themselves to make deeply personal work.
How do you see the positioning of the domestic space changing within photography in the future?
Domestic space is always going to have an important role in our lives and consequently in the work that photographers make, but this is subjective and does change. Ten years ago, I don’t think anyone would have predicted Covid and the role it had in changing our relationship with domestic space, but the work made during that period does demonstrate how people are able to adapt to their circumstances to continue to make work that captures lived experience. I am very aware that a younger generation has a precarious relationship with domestic space. The housing market, particularly in the UK, is challenging to the point where home ownership feels totally unrealistic for many people, no doubt this will play a role in work made in the future.
Top image: photography by Sarah Jones.
