RECOLLECTIONS
2010-2015
DIGITAL PRINTS ON PAPER
 
Photographs are often used to preserve memories, but this is a flawed premise from the start. Depending on who is in the photo, who took, the photo, and all other circumstances of the moment, the context of the image shifts. The photograph chooses how to frame the shot and whether or not leave out certain elements that could alter the interpretation of the image. This does not change with a still life. The use of lighting and camera angle can alter the mood of an image and how a viewer might perceive the item.

At the same time, our memories are inherently flawed. Similar to a vinyl record, the more we recall a memory, the more it is altered. We add or remove facts, we put emphasis on one aspect or downplay another. We discard information that didn't seem significant at the time or add information based on our distorted perspectives during recall.

All of these ideas are explored in Recollections. With a clear mind, I wander through the racks of local thrift stores until an object seems intimately familiar. Often a memory jumps out, something I hadn't considered for a long time. It is uncertain if the memory is true or a combination of multiple notions and moments. The object is documented, reproduced on paper, and returned to the thrift store to affect another.

The prints are presented in a black shadow box behind etched glass that shares the 'memory' triggered by the object; distorting the viewer's perception of the object and ability to connect with it in that moment.