In Carolyn Mendelsohn's ongoing portrait series she meets and talks to girls aged 10 to 12 to discuss what it is like to be in this transition period of their lives. They pose in the same setting to unify the style, letting you focus on the difference and importance of each girl.
"Being Inbetween stems from strong memories of this part of my life," says Mendelsohn, "The things people said to me at that point really stuck in my head, generally the throwaway comments, or the little criticisms from teachers, parents, or peer group; comments stick and influence us for a long time after, sometimes well into adulthood."
"My ambition is to travel around the world and meet loads of new people from all different countries and cultures. I dream that no one is homeless and everyone has a special place to go to." – Aaisha, 11
"It is a stage where you are not quite a child and not yet an adult," says Mendelsohn. "A time when you are just beginning to form your impressions of the world and the world in turn is being imprinted upon you. This work and the way it is exhibited is my way of exploring the lives of these girls, giving them power and allowing their voices to be heard. It is celebrating the beauty that is wholly them, one that is sometimes concealed in silence, attitude, embarrassment ,and self-consciousness."
"When I am an adult I want to be an architect. When I get enough money, I will move to Romania and raise wolves." – Abigail, 10
“My ambition is to be a triathlete, and my hope for the future is to stop wars.” – Isobel, 10
Mendelsohn invites the girls to her studio and asks them to wear the clothes they most feel comfortable in. Each girl looks directly into the camera lens to show confidence and connect with the viewer.
"I love my sister and my family and I love playing table tennis. My ambition is to be a paediatrician and to become a pro table tennis player." – Aliza, 12
"I love my family! I hate it when people are mean to each other." – Caitlin, 12
"I dislike clowns, pigeons, and really big dogs." – Eve, 10
"My ambition is to save many people's lives." – Maddison, 11
"I want to work in a beauty salon or be a fashion designer. My hopes for the future are that there are no wars and that the world lives in peace." – Noorie, 10
"I used to aspire to be a teacher, but now I want to be a vet. I dislike it when people are mean to other people, because it is really hard to go through" – Alice, 11
“I fear that one day we will all be the same, that people will get an idea of how we should live and how we should act, and how we should look like, and everyone will be afraid to be different “ – Mabel, 11
Carolyn Mendelsohn's work will be on show at Salts Mill in West Yorkshire, 28-30 May.