Life And Behaviour Understood By Zora J Murff

Focusing on “race, identity and how images are used to reinforce socio-cultural constructs,” Murff documents everyday life in various communities. His images are often captured in naturally lit, close up or abstracted proximities that reveal enough about a subject to tell a story, but remain detached in a manner of respect and understanding. These qualities can be perceived in the images of ‘Corrections’–a series created whilst Murff worked as a Tracker for Linn County Juvenile Detention and Diversion Services in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He explains, “Through employing ideas of anonymity, voyeurism, and introspection, Corrections is an examination of youth experience in the system, the role images play in defining someone who is deemed a criminal, and how the concepts of privacy and control may affect their future.” ‘Fade Like a Sigh’ was captured in collaboration with photographer Rana Young, as a reflection of their shared experience of a void left by an absent parent. The series constructs a dialogue between the two photographers and their own family histories. Below is a selection of images from the two photographic projects.