Vestige is a series of lumen prints in which my hair, saliva, blood, or breastmilk are placed directly onto silver gelatin paper. In these color-scape photograms, the female form, which is subjected to an onslaught of societal pressure and objectification, defies conventional representation, appearing as mark-making and surface disruptions on photographic paper. Transcending the figurative, these images become a collaboration between process and intention while addressing themes of identity, mortality, and the body from a uniquely female perspective.
This project is a natural extension of my work with figurative and portrait photography. Instead of a classic depiction of my body, these images reinterpret the gaze, creating a new and unrecognizable self-portrait. Physical remnants of my body become an affirmation, evidence of my existence.
Lumen prints are made by exposing silver gelatin paper to light for extended periods of time. The paper develops outside the darkroom, needing only sodium thiosulfate to fix the image. Although these images resemble paintings, they are fundamentally photographic; the colors directly relate to the type of paper used, exposure time, and UV in the light source.