Ill, disabled and shut away from society - new photography project captures reality of severe ME

25 November 2010

An artist who has been bedridden for years has put her experiences into a photography project, capturing the darkness of her room. She's now hoping that people in a similar situation will benefit from her work.

"Severe ME has left me bedridden for more than a decade," says photographer Penelope Clare.

"Most of that time has been spent alone, in the dark, overwhelmed by pain and exhaustion, and feeling too fatigued for any activities."

But one day, after a slight improvement, Penelope picked up her mother's digital camera.

"I didn't have energy to investigate how to use it, just pointed and clicked. My arms were weak and the result was blurry but there was tremendous satisfaction from producing something colourful – and it had only required a couple of seconds of precious energy," she says.

"Nebula"

"Almost immediately I felt I wanted to take atmospheric photographs documenting the 'spirit' of one who had been ill, disabled and shut away from society for so long. I was the only model available for this and despite being very camera shy, I submitted myself to the scrutiny of the camera."

"Veil"

"Veil"

"When I became tired of photographing tiredness, I turned the camera on the darkened room that I have been incarcerated in for eleven years. I discovered it contains a parallel universe of vibrancy (perhaps the so-called invalid and her kind do too!)"

"Essence"

The plan is to turn the artwork into a book, and Penelope is looking for people to view her artwork and add their comments and feedback. If you would like to comment on the project or see more of these photographs, please contribute to the discussion on our Facebook page.