Absentia: Abandoned Past

The series Absentia: Abandoned Past explores spaces in a state of abandonment or unexpected departure, creating a feeling of being animated and inhabited but absent at the same time. Houses are like the human body; they are born fresh, clean, and full of hope. The home ages, adapts, and sags; occupants leave traces but take their memories with them. A house may be reborn and be rehabilitated; sometimes it dies and becomes a memory. In a departure the portrait component of the previous work, the project Absentia: Abandoned Past is devoid of people and focuses on the home itself. The absence of people allows the viewer inhabit the space, and use their imagination on the lives lived there. The spaces are hauntingly quiet, and captured in various states of abandonment, from the sudden unexpected departure to a slow disregard for the place. The work goes beyond the alluring mystery of an empty building and the memories within, but hopefully inspires the viewer to ask why. We are all familiar The “ Ruins Porn “ trend, and photos of abandoned buildings, and dilapidated structures. I too love looking at these images. My attraction to this topic though is very personal, and focusing exclusively on homes. The project began when we placed my Mom in a nursing home due to advanced dementia. This marked the beginning of a process of loss, and the slow dismantling of our family home. The house was the repository of 38 years of family life, happy memories and tragic events layered in the