'Semi-detached' Lefley explores the humble but iconic architecture of the suburban semi-detached home, with its neat front garden, the bay fronted windows and red tiled roof. The semi-detached house seems to be a symbol of suburbia and all that might represent, including specific class and taste values of the middle classes. What interested Lefley about growing up in a semi were the odd glimpses caught into the neighbour's property, as it was a mirror image of her own home. As a child, the uncanny feeling experienced whilst in next door's house remained: it was a mirror image of her home and the décor was different but it felt strangely familiar. Like in Freud's essay "The 'Uncanny" "...the uncanny is that class of the frightening which leads us back to what is known of old and long familiar." The images show the architectural symmetry of the two halves, whilst revealing subtle differences in the tastes of the owners of each side. The inhabitants are absent in these pictures; their identity suggested by the private interiors of their homes. |