Becky Merbler

As a child, I often lived in imaginary worlds, making up stories in my head and acting out plays. I continue making up stories to entertain myself as an adult and write poetry. However, I am not a great writer, but I am good at bringing stories to life through photography and film. Besides my waking thoughts, I have vivid dreams and often visit the same places when I sleep. My body of work is Phantasmagoria, which is how I bring individuals into my world. I divide Phantasmagoria into two separate themes: stories of heroines and heroes and dreamscapes.

Heroines and heroes are primarily focused on portrait storytelling. The image may feature traditional pieces of lore hidden in the background or garments, but it is usually my interpretation. I source all makeup, wardrobe, and world-building materials. I do not have a team of people helping me. They are just really great models that will let me torture them for a few hours to help me find my vision. Most of my work is shot digitally for these themes; however, I occasionally use film.

The dreamscapes are a combination of various experimental techniques, including double exposure, digital manipulation, and souping. Sometimes, the frames in my dreams are not clear, and worlds have detached, disorganized elements mashed together. I use these techniques to create worlds where my heroines and heroes may someday play. What do we see, or more importantly, what do we feel when we experience these worlds?

Lastly, I have recently started using my camera with a fisheye lens and black-and-white film to document protests in Pittsburgh and other locations. Although I never felt that being a politically driven artist was my calling, I now have to be. The state of the United States government is an absolute embarrassment. Citizens of the U.S. are sick of the road of fascism our president is leading us down. I stand with my fellow protestors documenting us- but doing it in a way that helps keep my fellow American's autonomy because this regime is known for its backlash. In retrospect, this is a way for me to have my heroes depicted in real life. People are not afraid to stand up for their beliefs and do as they feel right.