I/O, 2014, 20x20”, collection, inkjet prints
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Beginning as found objects I knew I needed to take some “headshots” of these phones. We tend to forget what a trace we leave on objects and spaces around us, especially those that help us communicate and pass information. There is a certain nostalgia built in for those who also grew up seeing these devices in use. But there is a liminal and fleeting quality with phones’ orderly, museum-like presentation. These phones were being disposed of as they no longer worked (or needed). I also found some phones which had little to no human trace on them, but I was surprised how many had an effect on me, feeling both sadness and comedic value with each of these phones. I choose to give a final tribute, perhaps an obituary photo for each of them. With both chaotic or the tender loving care treatments from their previous owners, the collection suggests a lot about who the users were, and how us humans tend to deal with things marked for disposal.

There are 25 phone portraits in total.