A series of thermal imaging portraits exploring the conscious human existence and the contrast between life and death. A thermal camera reveals the infrared energy that every living being emits. The distinctive infrared signature of our body is compared to the unique existential trace we want to create in the world before we die and vital heat leaves us. The body temperature recorded by the thermal camera is transformed into a digital image with vivid colours. In this case, the colours range from white through yellow, orange and red to purple and blue where white is the hottest area and blue is the coldest. The contrast between warm and cold colours symbolizes the contrast between life and death. This project aims to provoke reflection on the existential, yet deeply personal questions: What is the meaning of life? What does each of us aim to achieve in life before he or she dies and what will be left of us when we no longer exist?
Vera Hadzhiyska was born in 1993 in Plovdiv. She had a BA (Hons) in Photography from the University of Portsmouth, England in 2017. She took part in the Month of Photography in 2015 and 2017, Photo Salon Plovdiv 2016. She is the chief organizer of Transient graduate exhibition (Portsmouth and London, 2017). Co-founder of Bohemian, an art organization which aims to promote new talented artists.