Maia Blair

Through the Lense

Silently, she walks down dusk filled cobbled streets eyes wide to the colour changing sky of late winter as the clear blue of day starts to descend into the familiar canvas of stars that greet, like an old friend, the celestial crescent who graced the skies above the capital all day. The cold bites at the girls face as she dares to enter one of the cities many famed ancient closes with only the light from small lanterns to guide her feet before she emerges from the old town and lifts her hands to her face. As strangers pass by, her attention is skyward pressed to the viewfinder of her companion making buildings turn into shapes and lines full of memory and meaning. The girl is undiscerning to those who walk past, she is unknown, simply a girl taking a photograph. You see, what the people in the street do not realise is that this girl is one of Edinburgh’s emerging talents. This is Maia Blair.

The young photographer puts one question to her audience. What does the colour black mean to you? Symbolic of death and sorrow? Maybe, it is the steady beat of rebellion? Or perhaps it is elegance and sexual desire that you imagine. However, tucked away on a quiet street in the heart of Scotland’s capital lies six images which would tell you a different story. The photographs hang boldly on a stark white wall begging the viewer to step closer if they dare. They are confusing and somewhat uneasy to look at, but you cannot help but envelop yourself inside the darkness. The images deny the existence entirely of black as a colour instead quietly shadowing the idea that Black is the absence of colour. A title which begs of more questions than it solves.

Black is the absence of colour'

By Maia Blair

Maia Blair, Photographer

‘I have learned through creating work that images tend to be a lot more successful when they are personal and have a significant meaning’.

‘Black is the Absence of Colour, 2020, is an exploration of the emotions associated with black, depicting darkened images of scenery that are abstracted to create a sense of ambiguity and mystery.’

From the image of the empty field and stark trees to the construction dense scenes of an Edinburgh street, it is the work of student photographer Maia Blair that is making us question how we view the colour black. For Maia, the collection is the most defining of her as a photographer to date ‘My work from my most recent series defines me most. It is the first body of work I have created and felt genuinely proud of and happy with the result. I feel that it establishes my current photographic style well and shows the type of photography I enjoy working with.’ Maia, who takes inspiration from photographers Alec Soth and Aapo Huhta, says she usually gets inspiration for shoots from Instagram, films and ‘random things that happen in my daily life’ using mind maps to explore her train of thought. It is Maia’s own personal experiences with mental health though which she feels further aids her in creating her work especially in the Black is the absence of colour series with self-reflection acting as a catalyst for creating work which is personal and relatable to her viewers. ‘I explored my own personal experiences with mental health and presented that theme throughout my photographs.

'I found that this makes me feel more connected to the series which I think the audience appreciates and finds the work more relatable.’

Urban, abstract, and surreal photography are areas which Maia’s work has typically leaned towards as she aims to ‘explore the dark and mysterious areas of the industry’ and continue to make a name for herself. Unsure of where her career will take her just yet, Maia says she, ‘would like to travel to New York and experience the photography industry in America. I think my end goal is to own my own gallery, not just for photography but for all the arts.’. At only 20-years-old, the young photographer is at the very beginning of her career with a bright future ahead of her.