People are fascinated by evil. We exhibit a “Morbid Curiosity” when it comes to tragedy. Forensic psychologist Dr. Paul G. Mattiuzzi has called murder “a most fundamental taboo and also, perhaps, a most fundamental human impulse. In every case, there is an assessment to be made about the enormity of evil involved.” In recent years, we’ve seen a huge influx in publishing of true crime documentaries, TV series, movies, podcasts, etc. In regards to these media and the intrigue they conjure, the grisly cases that they explore risk becoming glamorized, and often are.
This photo series, “Morbid Curiosity”, explores the almost romanticized interpretation of “famous” true crime cases. The imagery is be based off original crime scene photographs as well as media-based representations of the cases and the public’s reaction to them. The cases featured include The Black Dahlia, Dr. “Death” Jack Kevorkian, Vlad “The Impaler”, Kitty Genovese, Elisa Lam, Jeffrey Dahmer, Jon Benet Ramsey, and Sharon Tate. The images do not feature concrete set pieces. Light is used as a medium to provide context of place; These people, although “real”, are no longer rooted in reality. Their being is now merely headlines and whatever dialogue exists around their depravity or demise.
