During Covid-19, I wanted to make the most of my extra time, get things done and check off some of my neglected “to do list” items. One of them was to sort through stacks of test prints I had set aside while creating my series Again & Again: A Reflection on Consumer Culture, and decide what to keep and what to toss. I was determined to complete my menial task in a timely manner however, the long uninterrupted hours of the pandemic had other plans for me.
I was forced to stop the grinding forward momentum I was used to, to slow down and reevaluate what I had right in front of me. Overlooked details rose to the surface as I carefully reconsidered each print within the overall context of my prior work; themes of reproduction, manufacturing, consumption and recycling were suddenly jumping off each of these images. Eventually, I came to realize that while intentionally creating one body of work, I had also unintentionally created another.
Test prints and carrier sheets initially used to produce other images, now held their own weight as individual photographic objects. As I removed double-stick tape that was adhered to each print, photographic imagery stuck to one side; instead of tossing it, I recognized the tape as raw material for future photo collages. Each of these photos revealed the process and formal echoes of their original companion images, yet each contained distinctive visual and tactile qualities in their own right.
I don’t know why it took a pandemic for me to see, and act, on the potential of these materials. Perhaps it was the universal shift of making do with what we have, finding new uses for old neglected objects, or finally appreciating the value in having “leftovers.”
This body of work extends the dialog of American consumerism introduced in my prior series “Again & Again: A Reflection on Consumer Culture” and the images are considered companion pieces to the main body of work. These additional unique pieces are ongoing and currently under the working title “Leftovers.”
You can view the work under the gallery section on my website titled “Leftovers,” as well as on the Catherine Edelman Gallery’s Chicago Project site.