Laura Pannack

Laura Pannack is a London based Photographer. She was educated at the University of Brighton Central Saint Martins College of Art and LCC. Her work has been extensively exhibited and published both in the UK and internationally, including at The National Portrait Gallery, The Houses of Parliament, Somerset House, and the Royal Festival Hall in London.

View more of her work here 

Young Love Statement 

I think we often have quite a pessimistic notion of young relationships and forget that sometimes the simplicity of young love can form very strong relationships. Our ‘first love’ is a relationship we never forget and can act as template for future behavior and expectations in the future. A relationship free of worry, responsibility, experience and future plans can ultimately lead to one of fun and intimacy. Perhaps young people rely on relationships to ease the burden of the frightening time of handling adolescence and all its uncertainties; finding support in someone who will not judge but share the experience. Who will despite any fears or insecurities we may have, accept and love us.

But this is not to invalidate this partnership, as we all engage in romances for our own reasons. Creatures of self-gain it is through out ties with others that we establish a sense of self and a clearer understanding of acceptable emotional behavior. This lack of experience and perhaps vulnerability means that our early relationships are not sheltered by the protective walls we embellish to defend ourselves from our previous damaging experiences. We embrace all the relationship has to give, we accept and believe the emotions of the other half and we do not question their actions, as we have no reason to.

It seems that as we evolve and new generations form, the sanctity of marriage and traditional notions of romance hold less importance than it once did. Divorce is no longer a taboo and the increase in liberal views has encouraged society to be more forgiving of unconventional relationships. During a period of heightened emotional changes and the complications and new found territory of love and relationships brings into questions many issues that surround shaping who we grow up to become. The often perceived naivety can be viewed as a brave invincibility and produce a bond of unsheltered shared emotions, truly revealing oneself to another individual.