Dear Uncle Eddy,
I’ve been feeling overwhelmingly low recently.
Dear Heidi,
I’ve heard Europe is full of nice places.
Go, take your mind off things.
Nothings changed.
Still don’t feel good…
Dear Uncle Eddy, I want to be Defined by a Grapefruit addresses the intersection of Reece’s struggles with obsessive compulsive thoughts and photography. Unfolding as a narrative in which the artist outsources the decision-making process to her AI-generated great uncle Eddy via a series of letters, Eddy prescribes Heidi a trip to Barcelona in an attempt to cure her sombre state of mind. However, the external change offered little relief from Reece’s inner turmoil, prompting her to seek out an alternative path.
After being prescribed an anti-depressant to ease her overthinking and low mood, Reece convinced herself that she was allergic to the medication and opted not to take it. Recognising that this was an irrational thought, and turning to Eddy for comfort and advice, it became clear that photography offered a way to therapeutically negotiate the chaotic nature of her compulsions and this new pharmaceutical pathway. If pills could not be consumed with any grapefruit products, then perhaps photography was the bittersweet fruit she needed.
Uncle Eddy seemed to agree.