This self-portrait in two photographs, made in my studio, was an attempt to depict something intimate without being explicit. I wanted to express the fondness I feel for my body, with its quirks and early signs of ageing, but also imply difficult emotions — loneliness, guilt, inadequacy — and a feeling of vulnerability. The project began as an exploration of the concept of artistic constraint and grew into something more personal. I originally intended to photograph myself posing to fill the photographic frame, so as to appear to be constrained by it, but later realised I really meant to portray myself as a creature that does not fit in. I wanted that creature to look alien and strange, but also interesting and somewhat beautiful. Like an object of curiosity in its case.