Sian Hayden

The images titled ‘Ladies of the Manor” are part of a documentary series by British photographer Siân Hayden where she is shooting one man’s prized possessions: His sex dolls. In recent years the generation of sex dolls has initiated disparaging views on the human race’s sexual satisfaction and raised questions about our ability to socialise in the modern world we live in. Alongside these ideas, the photographs corroborate critical themes in today’s society such as The Uncanny and The Male Gaze. All studies are digitally shot on location in the doll owner’s house and in public places to attempt to bring his ‘Ladies’ to life. Throughout the series, Hayden has achieved these images by artistically conforming to classical portrait conventions and sculpting the dolls in positions that are regarded to be naturalistic to Man. Her use of ambiguous compositions and attention to lighting has created an effect that illusively represents the living human body.