Fire redefines the depiction of Cinderella in the 1964 Ladybird Book. Her rites of passage trajectory are transformed into states of urgency. From ninth century CE, variations of the story speak about the abuse of a young girl and her seclusion in which fire and ashes symbolise her ordeal and purification. The image captions are also changed to give agency to the heroine as she moves through the various stages thought necessary to heal abuse. The flames suggest new narratives, which critically explore and question the roles played by women.
Sara Hannant's photographic practice is open to the unexpected, the uncanny, and the unseen. Her work is informed and transformed by witchcraft, magic, and folklore. She recognises the diverse expressive qualities of photography and uses analogue, digital, and alternative processes.
Her books include 'Of Shadows: One Hundred Objects from the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic' (Strange Attractor Press, 2017) and 'Mummers, Maypoles and Milkmaids: A Journey through the English Ritual Year' (Merrell, 2011), which became a Horniman Museum touring exhibition.
Awards 2023 Siena Creative Photo Awards, Fine Art: Experimental, Shortlisted
2023 20th Julia Margaret Cameron Award, Professional Cell Phone Series, Winner
2022 19th Julia Margaret Cameron Award, Alternative Processes Series, Winner
2022 18th Pollux Awards, Alternative Processes, Series, Winner
2022 17th Pollux Awards, Alternative Processes, Series, Winner
2022 18th Julia Margaret Cameron Award, Alternative Processes, Series, Runner-up
2021 17th Julia Margaret Cameron Award, Alternative Processes, Series, Runner-up
2021 Selected Best of Show International Photography Awards, IPA Jury Top 5 and Country Pick: United Kingdom
2021 International Photography Awards, Professional Analog/Film, Other, 2nd Place
2021 PX3 – Prix de la Photographie, Paris, Fine Art, Nature, Honourable Mention
2020 15th Pollux Awards, Alternative Processes Series, Winner
2020 Siena Creative Photo Awards 2020, Shortlist
2019 British Photography Awards, Documentary Photography, Shortlist
2019 British Life Photography Awards 2018, Urban Life, Documentary Series, and Photojournalism, Shortlist
