Pieces Of Me

  • Dates
    2024 - 2025
  • Author
  • Location Australia, Australia

In pairing intricately constructed narratives with deconstructed, damaged film - the work in this series intends to convey the paradox of my neurodivergent mind, as I try to balance my desire to be seen with an overwhelming need to hide.

My internal timeline is non-linear, woven by fragmented memories of immense joy intertwined with medical traumas.

Everyday facts are difficult to retain, as they lack the emotion needed to anchor me in the present moment. I recall the sound the gravel made underfoot as my waters broke, the sterile cold of intravenous medication entering my bloodstream, coupled with the clinical smell of hospitals. The hot, full-body rush of a success, the mortifying anxiety of feeling exposed.

After receiving a late AuDHD diagnosis, I’ve found these fragmented pieces of me that were previously floating - detached, have fallen into place, allowing me to see my whole picture. For the first time in my life, everything makes sense, and I feel complete.

Utilising medical scans to illustrate pivotal moments in time where memories have formed, the work in this series pairs intricately constructed narratives with deconstructed, damaged film. Collectively, the images intend to convey the paradox of my neurodivergent mind as I try to balance my desire to be seen with an overwhelming need to hide.

© Lisa Murray - Image from the Pieces Of Me photography project
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JUST BREATHE, A SELF REFLECTION It's comforting to learn of my neurodivergence. Understanding it’s been there all along, informing all of my life’s experiences, explains so much to me about my medical history and the relationships I've formed with the people I love.

© Lisa Murray - Image from the Pieces Of Me photography project
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FALLINGIt’s as if all these fragmented pieces of me that were previously floating solo in their experiences have fallen into place, allowing me to see my whole picture.

© Lisa Murray - THIS DELICATE BRAINUnderstanding my neurodivergent mind gives me a deeper insight into my sensitivities.
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THIS DELICATE BRAINUnderstanding my neurodivergent mind gives me a deeper insight into my sensitivities.

© Lisa Murray - Image from the Pieces Of Me photography project
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BRAIN FOGAll roads lead to brain fog. Clarity is fleeting, like an elusive mirage shimmering just over the horizon, forever out of my reach.

© Lisa Murray - PIECES OF MEMy Internal Timeline.
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PIECES OF MEMy Internal Timeline.

© Lisa Murray - MOVABLE MOUNTAINSA reflection of my inner landscape, post-surgery.
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MOVABLE MOUNTAINSA reflection of my inner landscape, post-surgery.

© Lisa Murray - THE PUZZLEThe Life-Long Puzzle.
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THE PUZZLEThe Life-Long Puzzle.

© Lisa Murray - Image from the Pieces Of Me photography project
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UNMASKINGThere’s something primal about being diagnosed with AuDHD later in life, it’s as if I have been given permission to deconstruct everything to a cellular level and rebuild it again, purposefully this time, free from the burden of shame and guilt, giving me courage to abandon the constant struggle of masking.

© Lisa Murray - TOPOGRAPHICAL DISORIENTATIONFinding a name for my innate inability to orient myself in my surroundings.
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TOPOGRAPHICAL DISORIENTATIONFinding a name for my innate inability to orient myself in my surroundings.

© Lisa Murray - WITHIN REACHI can finally see myself.
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WITHIN REACHI can finally see myself.