Margaret M. De Lange: Surrounded By No One

The theme of Margaret M. De Lange’s second book is one of loneliness. It is a personal documentary, which follows people close to her as well as some that she has met only briefly, and the solitude they encounter.

As she says: “Being lonely is not the same as being alone. The loneliness we experience when surrounded by people is the loneliness we try our hardest to hide. We all have aspects to ourselves that we try not to display. Aspects which are personal and vulnerable.

On an unconscious level, I think I look for these sides to myself in the people around me. Those I’m close to, but also strangers I only have fleeting encounters with. It is when I see myself that I take my photographs. These people become my mirrors; my way of showing those parts of me I’m trying to keep hidden.

My insecurities, dreams and longings.

My happiness and sorrows, victories and downfalls.

My loneliness.”