Old flame
I have been thinking about photographing objects for a long time. I often run into objects, placed in interesting places, and I am filled with curiosity about how they ended up in that place, who owned them, and what had they witnessed as they sat on a shelf. I imagine if these inanimate objects possess energy filled with latent memories. Normally I don't intervene with a scene when I photograph it so I had a hard time finding the right still lifes in the wild. So when I turned to setting up still lifes in a controlled studio setting, I began with my own objects, and it is turning into an ongoing self portrait.
The photographic series titled Old flame contains some of my personal effects from when I used to smoke cigarettes. They belong to a past self, and the photographs exist to satisfy my longing for that past time. For years I carried a Zippo lighter everywhere. It served more than its practical purpose. It was part of my identity, a cherished tool, and thus remained in my possession long after I quit smoking. I have kept these items because they were a witness to past experiences, that I can’t fully recall, and don’t want to totally forget.
