I CAN ONLY REMEMBER WHAT I DON'T FORGET

 "What I like about photographs is that they capture a moment that is gone forever, impossible to reproduce"  Karl Lagerfeld

I Can Only Remember What I Don't Forget is about time, memory, loss and the creation of a legacy for the future. By photographing images and artifacts astheyexisted at my parent’s home, the new photographs create a different way of exploring personal history and the process of recollection.

This series references the genre of still life, popular in 17^th century Europe, especially the Netherlands. It’s emphasis was on the home, personal possessions and diversions of everyday life as it was known at that time.

In the 21^st century, Isiuchi Miyako, well-known Japanese photographer, explores the genre of still life through photographs of items left behind when her mother passed away. Continuing this tradition, I Can Only Remember What I Don’t Forget recontextualizes intimate family photographs and objects into contemporary still life images.

Although the moments may be impossible to reproduce, they often linger. Sifting through vintage photographs and artifacts helps to create a personal narrative. However, the experience is never the same and the memory fades. This fleeting moment in time reminds us that we can only remember what we don't forget, since some things are gone forever.  

I created these images to hold onto memories that are slipping away, not only from me personally, but from my family and eventually from all of us. It is a reminder that there is and was a world before technology.