Essence is an intuitive exploration of a collective state of tension. In 2020, grief overlapped with uncertainty and a global anxiety took hold of the human psyche in the form of a virus. Masks appeared in the Australian summer because we were suffocating from bushfire smoke. Now, they protect our lungs from influenza. Rubber gloves became a physical barrier between us and the virus and will remain a symbol in landfills for generations.
Lumen printing is one of the earliest forms of photography. Created without a camera, objects are placed directly onto expired photographic paper and then exposed to sunlight. The transparent and opaque qualities of the object intercept the sunlight manifesting a photograph.
The Lumen printing process can be mastered but is ultimately untameable, reflecting the character of the global pandemic.
Each image, in Essence, is a creation using evidence from a catastrophe.