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.
During lockdown, part of my effort to maintain my mental health was to keep fresh flowers in my apartment. I find while they initially bring light, as they wilt, more and more they reflect my struggling internal psyche. Cut flowers represent humankind’s complicated relationship with nature. We desire its grace and to control it, all at once.
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.