Object Collages

The intentional collection and placing of objects, trinkets, food, and clothing into a physical collage to then be photographed are what I decided to call “Object Collages”. This has been a way to explore characters in the absence of a person dressing up and performing. These collages ask: what can we learn from a person based on what they collect? If all we have are a collection of things, who does that make us?

This exploration began with the Love Letters where each collage informed the contents of a letter. Best Wishes was the first object collage I made that didn’t inform another piece of work. I wanted to see if an object collage could stand on its own as just a photograph. That photo and What We Were were both created when I went back to my parent’s farm for the holidays. Every time I go back I find a new box of collectables, miscellaneous valuables, grandparents clothing, photographs and memorabilia. Each item feels so important with a story behind it. So what would happen when an item from my dad’s dad is placed with an item from my mom’s mom? A new relationship forms between those objects. Then after placing around twenty items together a new narrative takes shape.