Memento Vitae

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     Photographs within this series were captured in conversation with and using my great grandfather’s Kodak Brownie camera. His camera is damaged due to years of neglect, and therefore introduces light leaks and exposure issues, concealing relevant contextual information. I performed the bare minimum of repairs needed to restore the camera’s operation, like how dysfunctional families tend to fix interpersonal problems just enough that relationships continue working but are not fully mended.

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     Growing up in my family, I experienced many trials and traumas that left me without a significant connection to my family, my friends, or the world around me. Manifestations of disruptive artifacts within the photographs contort my pseudo-documentation of the family dynamic, magnifying my missing connections and the gaps within the family album. These disruptions mimic the loss of information within a family album; images remain throughout generations, but stories and names often disappear.

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     Each photograph exists as a fractured memory, breaking the perceived function of the album and emphasizing the lost narratives within; questioning if our thoughts and experiences matter less when we cannot remember every detail. The ethereal and illusory additions show me trying to connect with the world around me - to my past, my present, and my future - sometimes successfully and other times not.