BOTANICAL SOULS (2024)
Archival Inkjet Print on Metallic Paper
13"x19" inches
Part # 1
“…such objects seek to remember a loved one, not as someone now dead, but as someone who was once alive, young and vital, with a future before them. In this kind of object, they will always have that future, a comforting thought, perhaps, for those who have been left behind.”
(Geoffrey Batchen, regarding memento mori)
(Geoffrey Batchen, regarding memento mori)
Botanical Souls deconstructs the indexical structure of photography inspired by poetry, alternative narratives, environmental critical issues, the Anthropocene, and the presence and absence of minority groups. It doesn’t provide either a utopian or dystopian perspective but rather to challenge and offer different perspectives that might contribute, even if in a small way, to social changes.
The images are interpretations, compositions, and traces that allude to organic forms and natural specimens. Every protagonist of this camera-less series expresses what nature wants us to see through the combination of silver gelatin expired paper, cyanotype, vinegar, lime juice, turmeric, soap, and salt. The chemical processes are expressions in themselves, and the light of the sun and water play absolutely essential roles in the creation of the image.
Most of the original photograms faded, degenerated, or disappeared due to the effects of temperature, sunlight, and humidity; others survived and were fixed or documented using digital tools. Sometimes, this was done before chemical treatment (to retain the rich colors that occurred as part of the extended exposures). Some of the original silver gelatin prints are stabilized and unique in their own right.
The long process of their creation and evolution juxtaposes life and death cycles. The results are a memento mori and contemplative metaphors for decaying, death, disappearance and transformation in connection with personal experiences of grief, loss and memory.
The images are interpretations, compositions, and traces that allude to organic forms and natural specimens. Every protagonist of this camera-less series expresses what nature wants us to see through the combination of silver gelatin expired paper, cyanotype, vinegar, lime juice, turmeric, soap, and salt. The chemical processes are expressions in themselves, and the light of the sun and water play absolutely essential roles in the creation of the image.
Most of the original photograms faded, degenerated, or disappeared due to the effects of temperature, sunlight, and humidity; others survived and were fixed or documented using digital tools. Sometimes, this was done before chemical treatment (to retain the rich colors that occurred as part of the extended exposures). Some of the original silver gelatin prints are stabilized and unique in their own right.
The long process of their creation and evolution juxtaposes life and death cycles. The results are a memento mori and contemplative metaphors for decaying, death, disappearance and transformation in connection with personal experiences of grief, loss and memory.