In the Shadow: An interactive portrait of life with OCD
Photographs by Léonie Hampton
For over a decade Léonie’s mother, Bron, had found it impossible to empty the boxes which had filled her new home since the collapse of her first marriage. The boxes, together with packed plastic bags and accumulated artefacts from her former life, were a constant physical reminder of Bron’s long-running battle with OCD.
In 2007, a deal was struck: Léonie would help her mother empty the house on the condition that she be allowed to document that process. In the Shadow of Things and the images it presents are the product of that delicate, troubled and loving understanding. As well as viewing Hampton’s expressive original images, users can delve through re-discovered family videos, drawings and archive photographs, witness audio of family arguments and monologues, and dip into transcripts of private conversations. The result is an honest and intimate portrait of mental illness, a reflection on the power of the past, and a testament to the bond between a mother and a daughter.
This is award-winning app showcases this moving account in a tailor made gallery. Pick a picture, any picture and it will lead you down different emotional paths of this deeply personal, powerful story. Immersing yourself in a family’s battle against OCD, sometimes painful, sometimes humorous. Features include: text and audio prologue, a multimedia archive, slideshows, an animation, an audio archive, and social networking and sharing options.
Critical Acclaim
Intimate reportage at its most powerful. — The Guardian
This is not a narrative or a story, strictly speaking. Rather, it follows life and its threads as they weave together; taking us far beyond mere demonstration and making us each look into the real world. — Christian Caujolle, Agence VU
‘Showcasing the immersive and the interactive, this beautiful app demonstrates the potential for digital publications to portray a deeply personal multimedia archive.’ — Cinema Rediscovered
‘A fascinating way of dealing with the material. I look forward to coming back to this often.’ — Alec Soth, photographer