Hysteric Rooms: inside the homes of Britain’s subcultural youth

For many of us, our bedrooms are the important private places in which we can fully and safely express ourselves. They are sequestered spaces, hidden away from the world, in which we can arrange and display the clutter of our lives. It is in this intimate setting that photographer Daisy Davidson has decided to make the focus of their ongoing Instagram series (and soon-to-be zine) Hysteric Rooms.

“I have always had an interest in how people decorate their bedrooms,” they tell Dazed in a conversation over email. “It’s such a personal space to many and shows people’s personalities so accurately.” For the past few years, the London-based photographer and stylist has been making their mark on Instagram as @hysteric.fashion, an account they use to document British youth culture trends. Citing Japanese photographer Shoichi Aoki’s FRUiTS magazine as a major influence, they discuss their desire to capture and archive the fashions and aesthetics of the youth subcultures present today.

In images depicting the cutesy mess of anime merch and Sanrio plushies, they delves into the four–wall sanctuary of her subject’s bedrooms. “I have always loved to look at old photos on Flickr of people’s bedrooms, from goths to old-school anime fans. Each person’s room – regardless of the subculture they’re in – there’s always some little detail in personal space that make it uniquely that person’s,” they explain. “This is something I’m super aware of, a bedroom really is such a special place and to be allowed to photograph people in such a space is something I’m so humbled by.”

Below, we chat to Davidson about their fascination with bedrooms.

Do you find that the rooms you have featured in this series align with their owner’s fashion expressions? Or have their choices in decor surprised you?

Daisy Davidson: I think there’s always a little surprise when I capture someone’s room. For example, if someone is, say, ‘emo’, there’s also something that doesn’t fully align with that in their room, be it a childhood plushie toy or a random cute trinket from a friend. That’s what I really love – those little details that show how unique each person is.

What is the most memorable (be it obscure or really cool) aspect or item of someone’s room that you’ve come across during the series so far?

Daisy Davidson: One of my most memorable rooms was my friend, Ruby’s. Her room was entirely strawberry-themed and insanely cute, but she also had an amazing collection of extremely busty Sonico figurines which, in contrast to the rest of the room, was just so amazing.

Many people see their bedrooms as intimate spaces. When entering these rooms as a photographer were there any challenges for you or the subjects during the shoot? 

Daisy Davidson: This is something I’m super aware of, a bedroom really is such a special place and to be allowed to photograph people in such a space is something I’m so humbled by. As someone who shoots on the street, it is interesting to see how people are within their own four walls. Even though being photographed on the street is a vulnerable thing, in a way, being sat in a space that – although maybe is more your own comfortable environment – does in fact hold a lot of emotion and intimacy could be more of a challenging place to have your photo taken.

“A hysteric room is a space where you are the most genuine form of yourself, where you have everything that makes you happy” – Daisy Davidson 

Does this series have a timeline or an end goal for you? Or do you see this as an ongoing project?

Daisy Davidson: I would like to keep it as an ongoing project, so if you’re reading and want to be involved please reach out to me! The next goal for the series is to finalise the Hysteric Rooms zine which will show not only photos shot by myself but also submissions of some of my Instagram followers’ rooms that they have photographed themselves.

In your own words, what makes a room a ‘hysteric room’?

Daisy Davidson: A hysteric room is a space where you are the most genuine form of yourself, where you have everything that makes you happy, where you can be the most calm, where you can be upset and hug a plushie, where you can put up silly posters and take a million photos of yourself in fun outfits… a place where you feel the most pure, unedited form of yourself.

You can follow @hysteric.fashion for more of Daisy Davidson’s Hysteric Rooms series, and DM them with your own Hysteric Rooms submissions.

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