Bettina von Zwehl

#5 from the series 'Alina', 2004. While her residency at the Royal College of Music in London, von Zwehl made this series of twelve photographs. Although maybe this photograph itself may not look very interesting, the process at which this photograph was taken, I thought, seemed to be extremely so. While playing a piece of music by the Estonian composer, Arvo Part named 'Fur Alina', von Zwehl's subjects sat in a darkened room. She then activated flashlights at unexpected moments, capturing her subjects at random moments of contemplation. In the photograph, there is nothing to distract the viewer from what is being captured, that being the person's expression... what they are feeling. The background is a blank white, as well as what the subject is wearing. This portrait captures this girl in a calm state, reflecting whatever it is she feels from listening to the music being played.