This installation explores the complex relationship between self-portraiture, time, and memory. The self-portrait is a means to constantly redefine and separate myself from the “family album.” The album snapshots we collect of ourselves throughout our lifetime are typically joyous, smiling moments taken during holidays, birthday parties, and celebrations. Often these smiles hide the reality that lies beneath, disguising a sad feeling, an angry memory, or a hidden passion. Too many times we forget that the snapshot is only a split-second—there was a before and an after that is not recorded. Each of my images is a “new” snapshot; one that, while still only a fraction of a second, can encompass and illustrate a broader range of time and emotion. The self-portraits act as mirrors, reflections, and distorted versions of who I am, have been, and will become. They are also an action, a ritual, a reflection on my past to help me better understand and experience who I am as an individual.
Through the use of Polaroid sheet film and a Holga camera, I am able to capture the snapshot aesthetic and vernacular photography. I manipulate the Polaroid peel-apart film with light bulbs to solarize and use various chemicals and tools to alter the surface. The resulting images are scanned and further altered digitally. Final output is 26x26 inch pigment prints.