Laura Steele
Saudade
Photography, often thought of as the most literal form of visual expression, has been adopted by the masses as a way of affirming our otherwise fleeting existence. The photograph becomes evidence of a concrete moment and becomes the foundation from which our memories are constructed. Saudade is a series of photographs that embody the disintegration of form, illuminating the essence of transformation…. Transformation of medium, of time and of memory.
Light meets film – meets paper, and and a chemical reaction inscribes a child’s memories onto a stack of 4×6 prints. Lost in a basement, emerging years later transformed, having shed the past and absorbed the insistence of present circumstances. Memories now mutate, become inseparable yet distinct from any singular “truth” of the events represented. The have resisted the emotional weight they were burdened with and reject the predisposed confines of the photographic medium. Rather, they embrace their organic nature. What we are left with is a physical trace, beautifully describing the metamorphosis of form, time and memory.