Emily: A Materialization

2015

Woven Ink Jet Prints

The idea of a constructed identity and the information that is gained and lost over time is fascinating to me. Emily: A Materialization explores the concept of the constructed identity; combining detached segments of information to produce a coherent whole. In the 21st Century, a single natural identity has become obsolete. Advancements in technology have allowed us to compartmentalize our lives, as a result of this, we have started fragmenting our identities, purposely hiding and flaunting different aspects of ourselves. We deliberately craft how we want to appear.

Emily is a representation of Emily, a close friend. I photographed her once a day for fourteen days. The randomness of her availability resulted in variable appearances. The moment I took her picture, "Emily" became digital, data on a memory card. I re-materialized her by printing the photos onto paper. I then cut each photo into half-inch strips, deconstructing her into small bits of information, unreadable when separated from the whole. Intertwining the strips of different photos together, I constructed a new image - a new "Emily". Repeating this process of weaving highlights the various ways information can be encountered.

Each piece is full of information from multiple moments in time. The more moments in each piece, the more convoluted the image becomes. Diane Arbus said, "a photograph is a secret of a secret, the more it tells you, the less you know." The more information given in each of these pieces, the less readable the facial features become. The act of weaving also compresses time and normalizes the data given in each frame. This process left only the defining landmarks legible.

The grid-like presentation of Emily: A Materialization both confuses and aids the viewer. Recognizing parts of Emily's face in each piece ties the grid together, however, there is no focal point for the viewer's eye to rest on. The eye is constantly moving, while examining the nuances of her expressions as well as the similarities and differences between the pieces. Studying all twelve works together, the viewer can connect similar information in various pieces, slowly reconstructing the fourteen original photographs.