Preserving The Past

​

‘Preserving the past’ is a body of work that is a combination of sentimental still-life imagery and assemblages based on postcards and personal items belonging to ‘Jean’, a close friend’s elderly mother in her twilight years. The work opens up a new visual dialogue, it reclaims past memories and histories of her life, acquaintances, and family. All shot after the sun goes down at night, just using a faint streetlight through the window and delicately illuminated by a small  torch. Making references to how at night-time our brains can often vividly recall events of times gone by, almost dreamlike memories and snapshots of events revisualised in the dark. 

Delicate linens, doilies, accessories, and handwritten postcards converge and reflect the glass qualities like the ‘laterna magica’ (old magic lantern projections, hand tinted glass slide). Projecting and compiling the faint stories and memories, not just for brief entertainment, but a message. These images depict a permanent reminder of events, collections, and a museum of Jeans past memories.