MC1R is the gene that makes an individual a redhead.
Seeing Red explores the popular notion that redheads are well on their way to extinction. It was this curious rumour that piqued my interest, igniting a desire to untangle the mystery surrounding red hair with a closer look at a cross section of gingers from all walks of life.
I began thinking about how fascinating it would be to memorialize as many redheads as possible. I photographed each subject in an elegant, tufted shadow box otherwise known as the macabre “framed coffin”, – a visual allegory for redheads facing extinction. Once the word spread that I was photographing redheads, I had an overwhelming response from gingers around the world – each wanting to be immortalized as a part of the project. 300 portraits on two different continents later, the voyage had just started but it was time to publish. To enjoy the differences in each person, I photographed them all in the same fashion with large-scale gallery prints in mind. Each person was also recorded on video, stating what being a redhead has meant to them.
