'Forget me not' on display in the Texas State University Galleries from November 28th 2022-December 2nd 2022
There is no such thing as ‘away’. When we throw anything away, it must go somewhere.
~ Annie Leonoard
Too often we purchase single use items such as plastic bottles, aluminum cans, plastic grocery bags, and much more. After the item has served its single purpose it is simply thrown out without second thought. We frequently keep the mindset “out of sight, out of mind”. But out of sight means in our ocean, in the water we drink, deep in the ground, or high up in the ozone.
In this series, I create still life scenes using trash that people typically just throw out without a second thought. The items are photographed in such a manner to connect to traditional still life paintings in the renaissance period (14th-17th century). In these paintings, artists will arrange items that correlate to financial status such as food, household items, clothing, and jewelry. In my photographs objects are organized on a clean backdrop, and photographed in a way in which at first glance it isn’t trash, you’re simply looking at an aesthetically pleasing photograph. As you look longer, you realize it’s garbage. The title of each photograph reveals how long the items will take to decompose. My hope is to raise awareness about our purchases of expendable items, and make a change in our daily habits.
