Visual Larder
The majority of my work has been rooted in an interest in understanding the historical legacy of my family. My intent has been to produce an analogous experience of this history, making the narrative accessible in such a way that the viewer will experience it through the lens of his/her own perspective. The title of my current body of work, Visual Larder, is a reference to the trove of images and documents that I collected after my parents’ passing. In effect, it is a pantry of visual material that I have drawn upon to make works that have explored my family’s history.
The photographs we keep are often central to memory, providing connection to family history. The works of Visual Larder are not rooted in specific narratives per se, but driven by the impressions that are evoked by the source images. The use of an expanded book form is intended to present the imagery as a visual whole, and enable intimate reading of specific imagery, referencing the associations that arise when sifting through an archive of photographs.
Three of the accordion fold books are about my mother, father and grandmother respectively: Rosa/Rosette, Meyer/Myron and Gentille/Camilla. In each, I try to express some of their individual qualities as I have discovered them through the photographs and documents, and through my recollection. The fourth book, Autobiography, is a contemplation of cars and their legacy in my family. The fifth book, Sight/Resight, is a posthumous collaboration with my father employing his Kodachrome tranparencies.