Portfolio Category - LCEA 2013

There seems to be a superficiality of attention these days. We seem to be always looking for the better, newer, faster, cheaper, bigger way of doing things, whether it be related to technology, entertainment, or growing food. I prefer a slower pace, to take time to notice and appreciate those little things and with that mindfulness, to craft an image or an object that documents the often unnoticed details of my surroundings while leaving evidence of my hands every step of the way. In deciding to use the wet plate collodion process, I slow down. I take the time to consider the composition of my images, the atmosphere they will evoke, the message they will send, thereby lending a richness and materiality to the object produced. Salvage explores our disposable consumer mentality, sustainability, and the plight of the planet by recycling can lids and bottle caps into unique ferrotype camera-less drawings using plant material. By using a circular format of varying diameters, these drawings become little worlds. The botanical material used to create the imagery indicates growth, biodiversity, and potential regeneration. Salvage is constantly growing. The size of the installation varies depending on the venue and is installed using nails and magnets so the plates float about an inch from the wall. Currently, there are over two hundred of the unique circular ferroptypes completed ranging in size from 1" to 5.5" in diameter.