Time Passing Time Passing is a series of powerful images which focus on the faces of older women. These portraits do not intend to mislead the viewer; they are not air-brushed confections of ‘perfection’. Instead they celebrate mortality and reflect upon the ageing process. They are a representation of the beauty of experience. Previous work by Chris Avis has explored female identity through photography, print and installation, whereas her current work concentrates specifically on mixed media digital prints of the faces of women in their 50s, 60s and 70s. These images ask important questions on the place and importance of older women in society and the way these women are depicted. The position of the ‘matriarch’, and the wisdom bestowed by age, has been devalued in the western world. Instead women are expected to spend their lives as ‘material girls’, spending time and money in order to display an idealised form of femininity - even to undergo surgical procedures to try and maintain an illusion of youth. In contrast Avis shows us a true depiction of the female face where lines are not erased but added to, enforcing the reality of time passing. Overall, these images are an honest reflection on the effects of age on the physical body. They portray integrity, individuality and strength of character and importantly, are images of life lived. Dr Annette Freeman February 2014