“I have always embraced my fantasies through my photography.” Photographer Alice Hawkins on her 12-year journey of celebrating Dolly Parton.
Alice Hawkins has deep-dived all the way into Dollywood. Becoming enthralled with the enigma that is the singer-songwriter Dolly Parton, the photographer embarked on a twelve year journey, studying and becoming one with her celestial energy. "I threw my inspiration into a suitcase, got on a plane and stepped right into them". Talking about her very first trip to the Dolly-themed amusement park Dollywood, Hawkins felt completely transfixed on photographing the notion of hyper-glamour that exudes when thinking about her, and how her identity shaped her into America’s sweetheart for decades.
Curating this book as the ultimate love-letter to Dolly Parton, this is Hawkins’s second book, following the voyeuristic exploration into her identity titled Alice’s Adventures, released in 2017 and touching upon the societal expectations and definitions that are encountered and bestowed upon everyday life. Speaking upon Dear Dolly, she expresses that she experienced the greatest metamorphosis in her life, and how she stepped into a different part of her identity. 'I have always embraced my fantasies through my photography. Sought the unfashionable, audacious, gaudy and glamorous, and used my work as a guise to experiment with my own identity, because I have dreams of being as brave and ostentatious myself.' Gathering her closest friends, family, and supporters at the Have a Butchers gallery in London , the photographer welcomed the audience into the world of Dolly, which was no longer just about Parton, but about how these years of curiosity have shaped her.
Speaking to Perfect about the adventure of a lifetime, Alice Hawkins looks back at the best and most challenging moments across this twelve year project, and what Dolly Parton taught her about the human experience, and the emotional journey of becoming the best version of yourself.
Angel: When did this project begin to come together in your mind, how did you decide to create a love letter to Dolly Parton?
Alice Hawkins: When I first visited Dollywood in 2010 I decided I would one way or another return there to make work in homage to Dolly. The next year, thanks to Ponystep magazine, who believed in my idea and gave me a budget, I did, and that's how it started. I'd been thinking about my identity and making work exploring it since I first picked up a camera. I'm interested in what it's like to be as brave and audacious as the people I photograph and I am fascinated by notions of glamour and America. Over the last decade, I've continued to work on this project when I felt compelled to for different personal reasons. The first time was in reaction to my grief, after the death of my dear friend and another time when I was pregnant with twins I felt that making another Dolly project was a matter of urgency. I was frightened my identity was out of my control and needed to feel something of myself again. My fellow Dolly disciples who I met online during the pandemic, and photographed afterwards, are important to me and I consider them my friends. They remind me of Dolly and we made a bond when collaborating and in knowing them, I feel closer to Dolly.
Angel: What were the biggest difficulties and also the best moments executing all of the images, and exploring Dolly's world?
Alice Hawkins: Not always being behind the camera or being able to control everything can be difficult and stressful. Especially whilst wearing 2-inch acrylic nails and a wig as heavy as a toddler. But I think the best work can be made by just letting go abit, trusting in the process, the team and my intuition. I had no idea how hot Nashville is in June, that trip was exhilarating but exhausting. I remember buying souvenir magnets for my team one evening after shooting at Dollywood, standing alone down an aisle in a huge Walmart crying my eyes out, dressed head to toe as Dolly, makeup running down my face. I was emotionally overwhelmed there being in Dolly's homeland making it happen on a shoestring budget and ton of blonde ambition. That trip felt life-affirming.
The first image in my book captures the most magical moment in 2011, when my friend, Paloma invited me to go and meet Dolly with her backstage at Dolly's concert in London. I'd not long returned from making the work in Nashville and I took some prints along to give to Dolly. Our meeting was over in about three minutes but every second meant everything. Dolly radiated and was so kind and friendly but I was so nervous I forgot to give her the pictures, so I left them with her tour bus driver to pass on. I couldn't believe it the next day when I received an email from Danny Nozell, Dolly's manager, thanking me for giving the photos to Dolly and said he was very impressed and thought I looked like a young hot Dolly. It was a wonderful message and I was so touched that he also gave me a VIP meet-and-greet pass to all of Dolly's forthcoming shows.
Making this work has presented opportunities for me to push myself and attempt things I've never done before. My enduring memories centre around these moments when I felt brave or outside my comfort zone but just did it. I'm not a singer and I don't naturally gravitate towards the spotlight, but I decided to capture myself on a stage performing in Nashville. It took all of my courage to get up on a stage in front of a packed audience and perform Coat of Many Colors. They cheered in anticipation as I thought to myself “Oh shit, they think I'm going to be really good”, but I went for it and despite being terrible the audience was kind and they cheered, singing along with me. I left feeling invincible.
Angel: Looking back at it now, how does the project make you feel?
Alice Hawkins: Nostalgic and proud. It's been an enlightening adventure that's taken me into the world of Dolly, far and wide. I wanted to honour my idol and create work from my heart, which in my own way expresses my love, gratitude and admiration for Dolly. With the vital help and support from my friends and collaborators, I'm proud it's happened and now exists in the form of a beautiful book. One which I can give to Dolly herself, instead of some prints in an envelope as I did all those years ago.
Angel: What are you looking to in the future, both professionally and personally?
Alice Hawkins: In Dear Dolly's foreword, I said that I feel that when I 'became' Dolly in this project, I felt like her spirit animal - the butterfly, metamorphosing into something else. That is where I feel I'm at now, embarking upon a new chapter. I haven't quite found my feet yet but I believe everything will be alright and there will be adventure and epic sunsets.
I also wish to take my boys to Dollywood sometime, they both love Dolly and their favourite song is Applejack.
