Photographer Meredith Andrews calls her new exhibition 'Two' ? 20 little observations about people and life.

'Two', opening today at the Bermuda Society of Arts Gallery in City Hall, will consist of ten pairs of juxtaposed images.

"The images feed off of each other," said Miss Andrews, 29. "To a certain degree you can see what you want in them. I have a concept for each of them. In one instance, I have two pairs of best friends.

"Two of them are black and two of them are white, two of them are old and two of them are young. You could see things in that way, or you could see all the similarities between the two pictures. They compliment each other."

The work in the exhibition has been shot over a period of five years in Bermuda, London and the United States. Miss Andrews has been a photographer for several years, but she is also a photographer in her own right. The work in the exhibition is totally independent of .

"These were taken in my own time with my own camera," she said. "It is political, it is funny. There are little ideas in each picture. The fact that there are two images kind of reinforces the idea."

This is her second solo show in Bermuda. She exhibited in the Masterworks Artists Up Front Street series, and also had a show in London at the Local Gallery and one in Sweden at Galleri G.

Miss Andrews has an undergraduate degree in cultural studies from McGill University. Her interest in culture and sociology comes out in her work. For example, one set of pictures shows a Caucasian mannequin on a London street, another picture shows mannequins in a South Asian sari shop.

"I have always had a fascination with mannequins," she said. "I was interested in the different cultural ideals of beauty. By looking at the two of them you can see the consistency of these ideals and the inconsistency."

Some of the photographs are designed to make the viewer take a look at society and question things. One set of photographs called 'Reaction' shows an older man at a peace demonstration in London just before the bombing of Iraq. It is paired with a picture of a man selling books of photographs at Ground Zero in New York City.

Miss Andrews said she took photographs at Ground Zero, partly because she was interested in the idea of public mourning.

"I found Ground Zero to be a very strange place," she said. "I am fascinated by the idea of public group mourning. It is a very recent phenomenon. We saw it with the shootings at Columbine High School and other such tragedies. I think it is almost because of the media ? which I am involved in ? that it became important for people to purge their grief publicly.

"It happens in other places. We saw it in England when Princess Diana died and there were fields of flowers in the streets. Most people there didn't know this woman, but they wanted to feel attached to her death in some way. I find that interesting."

Miss Andrews said she is American, English and Bermudian and has lived in all three places at different times in her life.

Some of the photos in the exhibition try to show contrasts between these different places.

"For example, one picture I shot looking out to sea from Fort St. Catherine. The opposing picture is of a large open space behind a large bank in London. The city is very densely populated and they have made this sculptural garden with illuminated floors and trees.

"In Bermuda, ironically, we don't have a lot of open space, but we do have the sea. When you look at it your view is uninterrupted.

"I am not necessarily saying that one culture is better than the other. I am just trying to point out that there are differences. That is not strictly what the show is about, but it is there."

Another set of photographs called 'fuel' looks at fast food in Bermuda, an area rarely covered by local artists.

"It is Bermuda but not the atypical Bermuda pictures," she said. "My original concept for the show was photographing spaces in Bermuda that didn't look like Bermuda. It wasn't necessarily an architectural show, but looking at the Island and seeing what we are becoming. It evolved from that."

One of her concerns is the lack of conceptual based and political art in Bermuda.

"We have so many talented artists here," she said. "I am not trying to belittle any of them, but I don't think there is a culture here of people painting to make a statement. It seems to me that the majority of artwork being made is to be aesthetically pleasing as opposed to intellectually challenging.

"Of course, that is not absolutely true. For example, the show that is on now at the National Gallery with Bill Ming, certainly makes a statement. I think there are some people doing some intriguing things here."

She said she was grateful to Peter Lapsley at The Bermuda Society of Arts for allowing her to do a show, even though there is a possibility that her work won't sell well.

"I don't make what I call bathroom art ? pink cottages and that kind of thing that would look lovely in your bathroom," she said. "If my work is aesthetically pleasing that is great, but it is more statement led."

She said art and culture needs to be nurtured in this community. She said there are organisations in Bermuda that are doing that, but they need more support.

"I feel like Bermuda is really confused right now," she said. "It doesn't know what it is anymore. I think we are skirting over our culture quite a bit."

Her previous exhibitions were mostly of her collections. She collects postcards and has kept the ticket stubs of just about every concert she's ever attended.

"I am not a pack rack because I organise everything I keep," she said. "I'm embarrassed to say my favourite postcard is one I designed myself for one of Kendra Ezekiel's show. I liked it because it wasn't a photograph. I did a little graphic design for that one, but normally I just do photographs."

Miss Andrews has wanted to be a photographer ever since she bought her first serious manual camera at the age of 17.

"When I was very little I wanted to be a chef," she said with a laugh. "But I am a terrible cook. I became interested in photography while at the United World College (UWC) in Wales.

"UWC believes in peace, love and understanding. Perhaps I became a little cynical afterward, but it was wonderful to spend time with people all over the world and learn that there is no difference between a South African and a Bosnian and a person from Thailand. We are just all people. That is a really good lesson to learn at that age.

"Then I did an undergraduate degree in cultural studies and I didn't see what I was going to do with it until I did a masters degree in media and communications with a focus in photography."

The two came together for her and developed into a career of watching people.

"Generally, people are pretty fantastic and wonderful, but we are also pretty stupid," she said.

"That is a very good example of what the show is about, I guess."

Miss Andrews will soon be leaving to pursue a freelance career.

"I am not leaving Bermuda," she said. "I am basically hoping to do some projects abroad and in the meantime work on local portrait work, advertising and editorial work if it comes up."

The opening for 'Two' is on October 14 at the Bermuda Society of Arts Gallery from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The show is on for three weeks.