CONSTRUCTING THE PAST

Julia Fullerton-Batten’s Tableaux is more than a collection of photographs; it is a meditation on history, memory and identity through the lens of meticulously staged visual storytelling. Drawing on her acclaimed series Old Father Thames and Frida – A Singular Vision of Beauty and Pain, Fullerton-Batten constructs images that hover between historical record and myth, inviting viewers into immersive worlds where light, costume and gesture carry the narrative. Each frame is composed with the precision of a director, a delicate balance that allows moments to feel at once timeless and immediate. Through her practice she demonstrates photography’s capacity to illuminate human experience across time and culture. In Old Father Thames, Fullerton-Batten turns her attention to the Thames as more than a river, presenting it as a living archive and a stage for centuries of human stories. Drawing on historical research, she reconstructs episodes ranging from Frost Fairs and baptisms to tragedies, crimes and survival narratives. What makes the series compelling is how archival research is transformed into visual storytelling. Each photograph unfolds as a miniature drama, a scene frozen in time yet imbued with immediacy, as if witnessed first-hand. The Thames itself emerges as a character, its waters carrying echoes of human endeavour, whimsy and sorrow. In one image, a lone figure crossing a frost-laden river evokes fragility and resilience. In another, a tableau of revelry or ritual reflects the social and cultural rituals that have animated the waterway for centuries. Fullerton-Batten transforms the river into a conduit for human experience, idiosyncratic, whimsical and often tragic, creating a space where history and imagination meet. Her series Frida – A Singular Vision of Beauty and Pain explores identity through cultural and artistic legacy. Inspired by the fearless self-expression of Frida Kahlo, Fullerton-Batten works with authentic Tehuana dresses and locations across Mexico, from the vibrant architecture of Luis Barragán to the ethereal canals of Xochimilco. These images are simultaneously homage and invention, celebrating Kahlo’s resilience, beauty and pain while reimagining her within lush contemporary tableaux. In one frame, a figure echoes Kahlo’s iconic posture while floating amid Xochimilco’s vibrant waters, transforming a historical reference into a cinematic dreamscape. Here the personal intersects with the historical, the real with the imagined, offering reflections on identity, legacy and the endurance of the human spirit. Fullerton-Batten’s underscores the richness of contemporary female photographic practice, where staged narrative becomes a vehicle for psychological insight, historical exploration and social commentary. Her work bridges cinematic storytelling, historical research and emotional depth, demonstrating how photography can illuminate complex human experiences.   Anna Müller