TARGET FIXATION

LOCATION

GALERIE ITINERRANCE, PARIS, FRANCE

DATE:

JUNE , 2023

The term ‘target fixation’ refers to a common tendency in riders, drivers and pilots to overly focus on an obstacle, hazard or indeed their target, to the point that they end up colliding with the very thing that they were trying to avoid in the first place.

I’ve been there, I’ve done it. It’s a bizarre mix of knowing that your focus is wrongly placed, but that you’re unable to shift it. Like a moth drawn to a light, you can’t help but stare at the very thing you’re trying to avoid. I’ve been there on motorbikes, I’ve been there in my personal life and it’s as if the more you try and dodge the inevitable outcome, the more you double down and focus harder on it.

To me, there’s something fascinating and deeply human about this phenomenon - letting yourself become so deeply preoccupied by a goal, achievement, or final outcome that you end up losing sight of all surrounding consequences, to the point of potential self-destruction.

Remove the vehicle in the equation and it feels like the post pandemic version of target fixation is our relentless obsession with A. One’s self. B. Other peoples lives C. How we are perceived. Whether it be our pursuit of material possessions, relationships, or the idealised versions of ourselves projected through social media, anticipated success so often leads ironically to self-destruction. Just take our fascination with trying to hold back time or worse, reverse it - plastic surgery, body dysmorphia, the 8th sin; self obsession.

When thinking about how to visually portray this term, little seemed more appropriate to me than motorsport, not only because it’s where the concept of ‘target fixation' originated from but because it exemplifies that ‘winner takes all’ mentality that drives people to put themselves in dangerous situations, risking their lives in pursuit of glory, fame… notoriety. I wanted to draw a parallel between that and the intense feeling of anticipation and exhilaration that comes with a new romance. The narrowing of attention tied to both sporting victory and romantic success share a vulnerability that leaves individuals susceptible to distractions or potential pitfalls that arise due to a singular focus, losing themselves in the pursuit of others