“When I got pregnant my body became completely deformed. That was a real gift!”
Vibeke Tandberg created the photography series Undo during her last month of pregnancy. The series is an attempt to portray the many changes a woman undergoes when she is pregnant. These changes are not only physical, but also involve space, architecture and the concept of weight. Tandberg presents herself in an ostensibly vulnerable situation, but the ballooning underwear and twisted body parts provide a liberating sense of comic relief.
Absurd manipulation
The photograph series comprises seven pictures, all of which have been manipulated. The main figure is the same in all the images, but the facial features have been displaced and the body has been distorted into a variety of unnatural proportions. The same approach has been taken to the architecture of the room, which is also perceived as being absurd.
The title “Undo” derives from the image editing software Photoshop, and means that the previous step is reversed. Tandberg began working with photography in the 1990s, the period when digital image editing had its breakthrough. The manipulation of photographs that Photoshop made possible became a characteristic feature of Tandberg’s photography.
