Dear Uncle Eddy, I would rather be defined by a grapefruit addresses the intersection of Reece’s struggles with obsessive and compulsive thoughts and photography. Unfolding as a narrative in which the artist outsources the decision-making process to her AI-generated great uncle, Eddy, the work explores the complex nature of control, both in terms of being individually beholden to irrational impulses and the place that generative technologies now occupy in our collective lives.

After being prescribed an anti-depressant to ease her overthinking and low mood, Reece convinced herself that she was allergic to the medication and opted not to take it. Recognising that this was an irrational train of thought, and turning to Eddy for comfort and advice, it became clear that photography offered a way to therapeutically negotiate the chaotic nature of her compulsions and this new pharmaceutical pathway. If the pills could not be consumed with any grapefruit products, then perhaps photography was the bitter fruit she needed. Uncle Eddy seemed to agree.

Heidi Reece is a photographer from Merseyside who recently completed a degree in Photography. Her practice blends the bizarre and humorous through staged imagery, portraiture, documentary, and still life. Reece’s work often challenges the conventions of documentary photography, exploring how the artificial and the authentic can merge to create new, imagined realities. Her recent project, Dear Uncle Eddy, was selected by Raquel Villar-Pérez for inclusion in Source Magazine. Originally presented as a photobook, the series reflects Reece’s fascination with narrative and constructed truth. She now aims to expand the project into an immersive exhibition, transforming it from a contained book into a living, dynamic experience.

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