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Watching You

About 15 years ago, Colin Pantall spent time photographing his daughter watching TV, in the messy comfort of their living room. Now a book, “Sofa Portraits” provides a fascinating journey into the emotions of a child living her day-to-day life.

“I had a tendency to rewatch programs again and again when I was little”, writes Isabel, Colin Pantall’s daughter, now an art college student who contributed to the book with her own sketches and writing. “You watch something again and again, and you know what’s going to happen. There are no surprises. There’s no stress or anxiety. And it didn’t take much to stress me out.”

Colin Pantall kept observing her, sharing the space of those moments whenever he came back from travel or work, while learning to be a father. In the photographs, where she still recognizes herself, Isabel’s glance is both attentive and lost. At times we see a sick and dazed curled-up child, others it is already possible to glimpse at the young woman she would become.

The book "Sofa Portraits" is available at the price of £50, (58 Euro).

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