The Forgotten

All of us will someday be forgotten except in the embellishments of others’ memories. Will we be remembered when our children’s children die? And, if so, how will we be remembered?

Much of my work deals with the loss and embellishment of memory. So often it seems that we forget something, only to think that we remember. Many times, we are just filling in the voids with photographs we associate with what we should know and with other people’s stories about the event. And frequently it seems that these stories develop a life of their own, almost replacing the memories that they embellish with a fantastic idea of what may have been.

But what about those memories that have been lost forever? There are many details of life that are gone with the death of the last person who remembers them. And many other details get lost along the way. And yet, much evidence of the past remains: old photographs whose unidentified subjects seem to mimic those in our own recollections, collected letters and notes enshrined in closet shoeboxes, clothing and other objects that speak softly of past use. This evidence, once removed from its original source, speaks tomes about human nature. It becomes not only a trace of a forgotten past but acts a glimpse into our own pasts as we weave our own memories into it. It becomes a testament to the nature of human existence; a lasting tribute to shared experiences and emotions; even a reflection on the nature of the unknown, of finding something, some trifle of lost knowledge, and then pondering the very being our own existence.

Here are some photos of my solo shows, Seeking Nihility and Relics & Reliquaries.