The vampire inside my camera: an exhumation of gender, monstrosity and queer worldmaking through photography and video

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorJosephy, Svea
dc.contributor.advisorHuigen-Conradie, Stephane
dc.contributor.advisorBrundrit, Jean
dc.contributor.authorCarosin, Gem
dc.date.accessioned2025-11-06T08:42:33Z
dc.date.available2025-11-06T08:42:33Z
dc.date.issued2025
dc.date.updated2025-11-06T08:39:20Z
dc.description.abstractGem Carosin's MFA project The Vampire inside my Camera: an exhumation of gender, monstrosity and queer worldmaking through photography and video uses the vampire character as metaphor investigating shame and desire through a queer lens. Examining how the vampire has taken shape in the public imagination, this text discusses folktales, art- historical and literary influences. Through a historical revisionist approach, monstrosity and the example of the vampire are parallelled to the negative assumptions about queer lives. By recontextualising the compositions and lighting of paintings, Gem draws the past into the present. Temporality, chronopolitics and the disruptive capacity of the undead immortal are of interest to Gem as they explore the limits of heteronormative structures of time-keeping. They break down how and why queer people may use troubled temporality and fluid depictions of gender to imagine utopian futures and queer worlds. This is pinpointed in the horror genre of film and various contemporary artforms that displace linearity. Gem's photography and video art portrays them as the monstrous vampire character, positioning their project as specific to them and their orientation to the world. Using their queer chosen family as photographic subjects, Gem explores what it means to be a monster among monsters in a safe-haven of eternal night. This body of work emphasises the importance of storytelling and imagining in creating queer spaces. Prioritising humour, joy and pleasure in their video work highlights how queer history is often defined by queer suffering. Gem hopes that their photographs will reach other queer individuals and provide comfort and kinship.
dc.identifier.apacitationCarosin, G. (2025). <i>The vampire inside my camera: an exhumation of gender, monstrosity and queer worldmaking through photography and video</i>. (). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Michaelis School of Fine Art. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42117en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationCarosin, Gem. <i>"The vampire inside my camera: an exhumation of gender, monstrosity and queer worldmaking through photography and video."</i> ., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Michaelis School of Fine Art, 2025. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42117en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationCarosin, G. 2025. The vampire inside my camera: an exhumation of gender, monstrosity and queer worldmaking through photography and video. . University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Michaelis School of Fine Art. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42117en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Carosin, Gem AB - Gem Carosin's MFA project The Vampire inside my Camera: an exhumation of gender, monstrosity and queer worldmaking through photography and video uses the vampire character as metaphor investigating shame and desire through a queer lens. Examining how the vampire has taken shape in the public imagination, this text discusses folktales, art- historical and literary influences. Through a historical revisionist approach, monstrosity and the example of the vampire are parallelled to the negative assumptions about queer lives. By recontextualising the compositions and lighting of paintings, Gem draws the past into the present. Temporality, chronopolitics and the disruptive capacity of the undead immortal are of interest to Gem as they explore the limits of heteronormative structures of time-keeping. They break down how and why queer people may use troubled temporality and fluid depictions of gender to imagine utopian futures and queer worlds. This is pinpointed in the horror genre of film and various contemporary artforms that displace linearity. Gem's photography and video art portrays them as the monstrous vampire character, positioning their project as specific to them and their orientation to the world. Using their queer chosen family as photographic subjects, Gem explores what it means to be a monster among monsters in a safe-haven of eternal night. This body of work emphasises the importance of storytelling and imagining in creating queer spaces. Prioritising humour, joy and pleasure in their video work highlights how queer history is often defined by queer suffering. Gem hopes that their photographs will reach other queer individuals and provide comfort and kinship. DA - 2025 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town KW - Camera KW - Queer KW - Photography KW - Video LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2025 T1 - The vampire inside my camera: an exhumation of gender, monstrosity and queer worldmaking through photography and video TI - The vampire inside my camera: an exhumation of gender, monstrosity and queer worldmaking through photography and video UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42117 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/42117
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationCarosin G. The vampire inside my camera: an exhumation of gender, monstrosity and queer worldmaking through photography and video. []. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Michaelis School of Fine Art, 2025 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42117en_ZA
dc.language.isoen
dc.language.rfc3066eng
dc.publisher.departmentMichaelis School of Fine Art
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Humanities
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subjectCamera
dc.subjectQueer
dc.subjectPhotography
dc.subjectVideo
dc.titleThe vampire inside my camera: an exhumation of gender, monstrosity and queer worldmaking through photography and video
dc.typeThesis / Dissertation
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
thesis_hum_2025_carosin gem.pdf
Size:
35.89 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.72 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download
Collections
Masters