During her artist residency at the International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP) in New York, Helen Anna Flanagan revisited her background in analog photography to develop new visual research. The project, titled "Vagrancies," explored the role of the background actor or film extra, particularly the older woman as performer, focusing on both gender and age. It examined visibility in urban space and the socio-political forces at work beneath the surface of the everyday. The photographs were partially staged in dynamic urban environments, combining fictional and documentary approaches to playfully blur the boundaries of reality and subvert social norms.

Flanagan: "The opportunity to present this visual research at a studio event for international colleagues, and through studio visits with guest curators, critics, and artists (including Vivian Chui, Leah Triplett, Eric Booker, Melinda Lang, Elaine Byrne, and Zorica Colic, among others), provided valuable feedback and new perspectives. A film screening at ISCP showcased both existing video work and new research, which sparked a dialogue about representations of different bodies and forms of performance, particularly within the context of the United States. This research has deepened the study of the central character, which will inform a new scenario for a future film project."