My artist’s book is a photo album created by a person who doesn’t exist. Well, not really. Each page holds an old photo with a corresponding poem that I wrote, but is from the perspective of one of the men in the first photo in my imaginary album–which one is up to the viewer to decide. My idea with this project is to show human emotion that everyone feels at one point in their lives, and to also show visually how life, when it comes down to it, is simple.
The photo album I used came from large amount of historical objects at my mother’s disposal at her job as a town historian. It was one she said she didn’t need and that I could use it. The cover is misleading–it looks straight out of the 70’s–while the photos are all from the 19th century. But that is the point. This album is a time capsule of sorts, and the fact that it is contained within such a kaleidoscope of colors kind of shows that. A passage through time maybe. The inside of the album is more old looking, so it’s deceptive in a way, but shows the progression of time. The photos I found online; I spent a lot of time trying to find ones that went along with my theme of family and memories. Once I found eight photos that I liked and I thought fit, the poetry began.
I decided that the best way to really drive home my themes of family and memories and the past was to express it through poetry. What better way to express emotion than a poem? So, I wrote a poem for each photo that I had, but they are through the perspective of one of the men in the first photo. One about yearning, one about a mother’s strength, another about love. I printed it all out, and put it into the album, and voila! An artist’s book was born.
It looks simple, but that is the point. The album is supposed to be simple looking, to reflect the main theme of life and memories and their simplicity.
To view the digital content of “A Life, Somewhere,” click on this hyperlink.