Public vs private. By Mayssane BENHADID & Tessa CAZENOBE

The first picture was taken on the 15^th of October in a corridor of our high school. We wanted to go home; we were tired and worried about the amount of homework we had to do for the next day. It was very quiet. We could hear whispers coming from the classrooms. We smelt dust. We were cold; the central heating had not been turned on yet. We took this picture in black and white in order to emphasize our feeling of insecurity. Our school was built in 1849 and its corridors are gloomy: steel lockers, old-fashioned doors, blue and grey tiled walls. When we walk down the corridors we are afraid of how others might judge our way of speaking, dressing or behaving. Sometimes, the other pupils tease us. The photo reflects how we feel…

The bedroom picture was taken during the holidays in Mayssane's warm, cosy and comfy home. We smelt the chocolate cake that Mayssane’s mum had just made. We chose a colour to contrast with the black and white photo. The bedroom is full of colours: the bedspread and pillows, the big painting above the bed, and the wooden chest of drawers. Birds were tweeting in the garden. When we took the picture we were joyful and quiet. There are the basics things that you find in a bedroom: a big bed (for big naps), a desk (for the courageous pupil) and a wardrobe (for fashionistas). Bedrooms can be places to have fun or work in. This is our private environment, a place where we can do whatever we want, we can be ourselves without fearing others’ judgment. We feel free and safe there.

The contrast between our photos makes us think about how, living in the city, we move between the private and the public spheres. Our bedrooms are private “safe” places where we can be ourselves, whereas the bleak corridors of a school are “dangerous” public spaces where we are afraid to be ourselves…