Back Dirt series, 2018- ongoing
Limited edition photographs
In archeological terminology, the term “back dirt” refers to the excavated, discarded material (sediment, dirt) from a site that has generally been sifted for artifacts and is presumed to be of no further archaeological significance.
A few years ago I found a stack of pages from an old French archeology book, with many objects meticulously cut out of them by an unknown person. I have been rearranging and photographing these pages ever since, each time assembling a new combination of layered pages to create a new image.
In addition to photography I also make porcelain sculptures, and the images in these pages are part of the visual research and inspiration for my sculpture, linking the two practices.
I print my photographs much larger than the original pages, revealing the materiality of the cut and torn paper. They appear to be in black-and-white or sepia tones at first glance, but a longer look reveals the subtleties of the slightly yellowing paper or the bluish shadows the pages cast on one another.
Ancient Attitude, 2019, installation view at Triangle Arts Association, 2019
Ancient Attitude, 2019,
63 x 44 inches, pigment print on archival satin paper,
edition of 3
Missing Person, 2018, 30 x 18 inches, pigment print on archival satin paper,
edition of 5
Edition of 3 also available in 66 x 44 inches
Shards, 2018, 30 x 23.5 inches, pigment print on archival satin paper, edition of 5
Holes with Shadows, 2020, 27 x 19 inches, archival inkjet print on satin paper,
edition of 5
test print in my living room...
Installation views at Science Fictions, a two-person show with Brittany Nelson, curated by Nicole Kaack at Crush Curatorial gallery, NY, NY:
