Current Projects

 

Identity/Anonymity

These portraits are of people that I do not know. They are based on pictures of people from old photographs that I found in flea markets and antiques stores. While collecting these old photos, I found that there was something haunting and inherently sad about the faces that looked back at me. While anonymous to me, these photographs were a lifetime of cherished memories for someone else. I wondered about these people, who they were, what the occasions were where the pictures were taken, and why these photographs which served as the representation of these moments were ultimately discarded.

I began to imagine what the lives of these people were like. I wanted to know that these memories that seemed discarded were in fact not forgotten. I enlisted help from others to help me re-invent these events, and to ensure that a happy ending was enjoyed by everybody in these discarded memories. I asked people to look at these portraits and invent facts about these people. I was to weave these facts into stories for each of these people, creating new identities that would save these memories from obscurity.

At the end, the reality is that these images were discarded. I will never know who they are, and I can never be sure that their lives ended happily.

These portraits are composed strips of computer punch tape, an obsolete technology that was commonly used during the time when these original photographs were taken. The strips are assembled by hand and adhered to the wall.

Ultimately, the series is about information access and my quest for a resolution that I could never find: people whose information I want but don't have access to, rendered in a data format that can no longer be read.

Field Studies

Dustbunnies in the Wild

Observed in their natural habitat, dustbunnies reveal complex social—and sometimes anti-social—behaviour. These slow-moving illusive creatures can often be found snoozing underneath common objects, usually gathering in small herds.

Dustbunnies are staunch survivors and can be found in the harshest of environments. They can survive the deadliest of natural toxicants, including clorox, spic’n’span, and mister clean. As with many creatures in the wild, dustbunnies are not immune to human encroachment. With new human technology like the vacuum, and the more recent technological advancement such as the Swiffer, dustbunnies face an uphill battle for survival. However, as dustbunnies are prolific breeders, it is hoped that they will be able to overcome these seemingly insurmountable obstacles and survive.

This social grouping was last seen during the Great Spring Cleaning of 2007.

Pinhole Photography

Pictures of John

This series reflects an exploration into perception and its cousin, perspective. Taken from an "worm's eye view", these photographs distort perspective and scale to expose the mundane – the inches become yards and the regular becomes colossal, tiles become fields and the toilet becomes monumental. Collected toiletries and personal items reveal a portrait of the inhabitants. The undersides of sinks, the pipes and the leads to the toilet that are seen anew create another perspective on the everyday.

Monster Under the Sink (coming soon)

It's a place awash with skulls and crossbones – cleansers, detergents, pesticides and solvents. Leaks go unnoticed and puddles fester. The community of creepy-crawlies defy eviction. Things that otherwise have no place to go often find a home here; all neatly hidden behind scores of plastic grocery bags. And perhaps once a year, someone dons a pair of latex gloves and takes it on: The Monster Under the Sink.

Portraits

Pictures of people I know

Microscapes (coming soon)