Embodied shadow : an exegesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand

Abstract

Embodied Shadow engages with cameraless and archaic modes of photographic making. It documents experiences of collaboration as my bodily surface folds against light-sensitive emulsion on expired photographic film and paper. Imprinting my touch suggests time’s ephemerality in remembering through the medium of photography. Exposed as lumen prints, left without chemical fixtures, these personal recollections gradually fade. As this fugitive diary is revealed in the light, the impermanent archive will cascade to be only an afterimage. Embodied Shadow is a whisper that suggests how archaic modes of photographic making bring an intimate conversation between maker and artwork. Investigating lumen printing; touch and contact printing alongside images of personal encounters, this work is focused on slowness in creating a personal archive of moments. In this exegesis, my experimental installations are positioned in relation to artists and writers who return to materiality in experience and examine the movement of time through photographic practice. As I stray from how these materials were originally intended to be used, I focus on the subtleties and imperfections, as the work lives before and after me.