Laura Pannack

Young Love I think we often have quite a pessimistic notion of young relationships and forget that sometimes the simplicity of young love can form very strong relationships. Our ‘first love’ is a relationship we never forget and can act as a template for future behaviour and expectations in the future. A relationship free of worry, responsibility, experience and future plans can ultimately lead to one of fun and intimacy. Perhaps young people rely on relationships to ease the burden of the frightening time of handling adolescence and all its uncertainties; finding support in someone who will not judge but share the experience. Who will despite any fears or insecurities we have, accept and love us. But this is not to invalidate this partnership, as we all engage in romances for our own reasons. Creatures of self-gain it is through our ties with others that we establish a sense of self and a clearer understanding of acceptable emotional behaviour. This lack of experience and perhaps vulnerability means that our early relationships are not sheltered by the protective walls we embellish to defend ourselves from our previous damaging experiences. We embrace all the relationship has to give, we accept and believe the emotions of the other half and we do not question their actions, as we have no reason to. It seems that as we evolve and new generations form, the sanctity of marriage and traditional notions of romance hold less importance than they once did. Divorce is no longer a taboo and the increase in liberal views has encouraged society to be more forgiving of unconventional relationships. The complications of discovering a new found territory of love brings into question many issues that surround shaping who we grow up to become. The often perceived naivety can be viewed as a brave invincibility and produce a bond of unsheltered shared emotions, truly revealing oneself to another individual.

Laura Pannack is a London based photographic artist
Renowned for her portraiture and social documentary work, she seeks to explore the complex relationship between subject and photographer.

Her work has been extensively exhibited and published worldwide, including at The National Portrait Gallery, The Houses of Parliament, Somerset House and the Royal Festival Hall in London.

Her artwork has received much acclaim and won numerous awards, among which are the John Kobal Award, Vic Odden prize, World Photo Press Awards, Juliet Margaret Cameron award, The Sony World photo awards, and the HSBC Prix de la Photographie prize.

Many of the projects focus on youth and time. She fuses her passion for psychology and creativity and often collaborates with a range of practitioners. She believes the process is always built on a shared experience.

Laura aims to dig beneath the surface and shift beyond what we think we see
She is driven by research led, self-initiated projects that push her to grow both as an artist and as an individual.

Largely shooting on analogue film allows her process to be organic rather than being predefined by fixed ideas, introducing chance and fate.

Many of her projects span over several years allowing the narrative to arise with the development.
The work aims to tell and inspire stories. The aim is to connect and emotionally engage with a viewer.

“I want you to look at my images and see your own story too.”