ABOUT THE EXHIBIT : Still Lives with Stories

The installation asks how we regard ourselves and others in this digital age of social media.

What grabs his attention? What personal story lives in his mind that he finds in his camera frame?

Based on my belief that all images contain untold stories, I invite gallery viewers to bring my work to life by playfully imagining narratives for my photographs and recording those stories – inspiring the title ‘Still Lives with Stories’.

What is he thinking? He has traveled so far from home. What does he want to save as a memory – and how will he remember it most?

‘Still Lives with Stories’ explores how Western biases are promoted across cultures through stereotypes in travel photography.

Shot over 3 years in Southeast Asia, my photographs show posed mannequins paired with posing tourists – strangely static human bodies that become metaphorical ‘still lives’.

In this interactive installation, we are all asked to discover what our snapshots reveal – beyond ourselves and our ‘selfies.’

We can explore the dependency we have on our cameras as we question whether we ignore understanding the Other while we pose as still as souvenirs to prove we have seen the Others' worlds.

How do our snapshots impact our attitudes about race, gender, other cultures, and what we really remember? What stories will we tell about our photographs?

You too can add your stories to the art with just your voice and your ideas.

Curated recordings will be archived in the collection of voices, presented in the exhibit, and remain to be shared on the 'Still Lives with Stories' website. Your stories can become a permanent part of the art.