†30 September, 2010

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Intermission It is a widely accepted fact that Polaroid cameras played a central role in bringing amateur photography into the bedroom. The introduction of the Polaroid camera allowed many would-be artists to immortalize the subjects of their desire without the need for intermediaries or expensive dark rooms. Instant prints made it possible to freeze private moments in time, making them available for future admiration, contemplation and self-gratification. In the pursuit of the erotic, the Polaroid camera became the quintessential instrument for prolonging pleasure. I was too young to understand this when I received my first Polaroid camera as a Christmas gift from my grandfather. It was only years later, when I got the chance to play with a digital camera for the first time, that I was able to comprehend the erotic potential of instant cameras. There were moments of pleasure and carnal beauty that were too precious to entrust to memory; it was imperative to preserve and curate them. So I began to point the lens of my camera at the naked flesh.  I photograph the ephemeral in an attempt to make it permanent. I document the body in an attempt to negate its decay. I confine moments to pixels so that the traced shadow of a lover on the wall becomes indelible. I am the custodian of intimacies and desires, passions and vanities. Through my photographs, I am able to conjure lovers at will. In them, the voyeur always triumphs over the Proustian. To me, these images represent both signifier and signified. They are the ultimate fetish.  words ♀

Intermission

It is a widely accepted fact that Polaroid cameras played a central role in bringing amateur photography into the bedroom. The introduction of the Polaroid camera allowed many would-be artists to immortalize the subjects of their desire without the need for intermediaries or expensive dark rooms. Instant prints made it possible to freeze private moments in time, making them available for future admiration, contemplation and self-gratification. In the pursuit of the erotic, the Polaroid camera became the quintessential instrument for prolonging pleasure.

I was too young to understand this when I received my first Polaroid camera as a Christmas gift from my grandfather. It was only years later, when I got the chance to play with a digital camera for the first time, that I was able to comprehend the erotic potential of instant cameras. There were moments of pleasure and carnal beauty that were too precious to entrust to memory; it was imperative to preserve and curate them. So I began to point the lens of my camera at the naked flesh. 

I photograph the ephemeral in an attempt to make it permanent. I document the body in an attempt to negate its decay. I confine moments to pixels so that the traced shadow of a lover on the wall becomes indelible. I am the custodian of intimacies and desires, passions and vanities. Through my photographs, I am able to conjure lovers at will. In them, the voyeur always triumphs over the Proustian. To me, these images represent both signifier and signified. They are the ultimate fetish.