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 summer because we were suffocating from bushfire smoke. Now, they protect our lungs from influenza.
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. Responding to the specificity of my photo subjects, I expanded on traditional processes, treating the paper with water and chemicals to create dynamic exposures.
Just like nature, the process of Lumen printing can be mastered but is ultimately untameable. Both in method and concept the artworks explore the duality of fragility and strength.
Each image, in Essence, is a creation using evidence from a catastrophe.