We all have them dotted around the house – pictures of beaming toddlers, be them our own, friends’ or relatives’, that induce uncontrollable cooing from the viewer.
In her latest exhibition at the V&A Museum of Childhood, German photographer Bettina von Zwehl has challenged these expectations of how infants should be viewed, and instead presents her 12-month-old subjects in “a completely mellow and quiet moment”, devoid of the chaos and kitsch we traditionally associate with toddlers.
Speaking about Profiles III, the third in a series which examines sitters of different generations, the Shoreditch resident says: “I think even if you haven’t had experience of children you must be intrigued, as much as you would be intrigued by a completely still cat. You know this is a wild thing but how come it is so still? You don’t know.
“What’s catching their attention and what keeps them there? Why are they so posed? Why aren’t they in a typical baby pose, why aren’t they wearing pink and blue? So there are lots of questions I am trying to bring up.”
So is Bettina trying to remove all childish elements?
“Yeah absolutely. I wanted to extract all the sweetness, the sugaryness, the kitsch, the presumptions and smiling, all the things we expect from a child’s photo.”
Describing the project as “very challenging”, Bettina spent a year-and-a-half casting and shooting before a “huge editing process” whittled down her 35 participants to get her final six (although only five are displayed here), which have been blown up to three-times life size.
By the end of the process, Bettina was expecting her first child. In fact, it was Ruby who provided the inspiration for her accompanying video piece, The Cannabilistic Stage. Filmed downstairs in the museum, the work features six babies aged between eight and ten months old eating a rice cracker.
“It’s kind of boring and fascinating at the same time,” the Royal College of Art graduate explains.
Meeting three-year-old Ruby, who is dressed in a rather spectacular princess dress for her mother’s private view, I can’t help but comment on her home-grown model. But, Bettina has other ideas. “I try and keep family and work separate,” she responds. “I couldn’t be objective.”
The exhibition runs at the V&A Museum of Childhood, Cambridge Heath Road, Bethnal Green, until Sunday, October 25. Details: 020 8983 5200 or www.museumofchildhood.org.uk (free admission)
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