Gwen “Did I Want To Be Here?”
An intimate large-scale portrait exploring dementia and the gradual fragmentation of memory through layered gum bichromate printing.
Creative Practice
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Projects Overview
See Below ↓↓
Classic Photography
My Practice
Ian Phillips-McLaren’s work spans classical photographic craft and experimental, multidisciplinary approaches. From silver gelatin portraits to layered works combining photography, painting, and alternative processes, his practice moves between tradition and transformation.
Some projects are rooted in observation, others explore mythology, materiality, and abstraction — with a few, like Fractured Whispers, bridging both. Explore the full body of work below.
Interested in workshops, mentoring, or exploring Ian’s photographic process? to discuss sessions, collaborations, or exhibition enquiries.
Self-i
By handing control of the camera to the subject, the work explores self-representation, performance, and the psychology of the selfie.
Beyond The Edge
Photographed through rain-streaked windscreens and fading light, the work explores atmosphere, memory, and the emotional landscape of East Anglia.
Self & the Other
An ongoing self-portrait series combining analogue paper negatives with ancient Roman sculpture to explore identity, performance, and the construction of self.
Fractured Whispers
Using gum bichromate printing and foraged pigments, the project explores the endangered Celtic rainforests of western Scotland as spaces of mythology, memory, perception, and material connection.
A Moment’s Existence
Blending painting, photography, grisaille, and glaze, the work explores identity, mortality, and the impermanence of human existence.
Practice & Process
Collaborations
Institutions
Creative
Brands