RECENTLY I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS
PHOTOGRAPHS I REMEMBER
PHOTOGRAPHS I HAVE SEEN YEARS AGO
BUT THAT NOW LAY BURIED SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 3 DIFFERENT HARD DRIVES
I KNOW WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR
PHOTOS OF ME AND MY DAD
IT WAS A TRIP WE TOOK IN ABOUT 2003
MY MUM, MY SISTER, MY DAD AND I
WE SPENT 7 WEEKS DRIVING AROUND FRANCE IN THE SUMMER
WE ATE, WE DRANK, WE EXPLORED
AND THERE WERE LOTS OF PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN
YES THERE WERE THE USUAL
'STAND OVER THERE, NOW PRETEND YOU'RE NOT LOOKING AT THE CAMERA'
BUT MY DAD HAD AN EYE FOR CAPTURING UNSCRIPTED MOMENTS
AND THE GREATEST PART WAS THAT I REMEMBER ON THAT TRIP
HE FIRST TAUGHT ME HOW TO USE A CAMERA
HE TAUGHT ME ABOUT HAVING AN IDEA AND HOW TO CAPTURE IT
THE PHOTOS I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR ARE THOSE
PHOTOS I REMEMBER TAKING OF HIM.
WANDERING THROUGH THE FLEA MARKETS OF PARIS
SITTING WITH MY MUM IN THE SUMMER SUN IN A SMALL VILLAGE SQUARE IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE
STANDING ON THE EDGE OF THE ROAD STRETCHING HIS LEGS BEFORE HE
HOPPED BACK IN AND PUT ON ANOTHER CLARKE TERRY TUNE
IN MY SEARCH FOR THESE PHOTOS I HAVE COME ACROSS MANY I DIDN'T REMEMBER
MANY THAT, WHILE NOW IT'S INTERESTING TO SEE AGAIN,
DON'T HOLD MUCH SIGNIFICANCE TO ME ANYMORE
A FEW THAT I WISH I HAD NEVER FOUND AGAIN.
SO WHEN I READ ABOUT THE ARCHIVING PROJECT THAT JASON LAZARUS HAS STARTED
I WONDERED IF I SHOULD CONTRIBUTE A FEW OF THOSE PHOTOS THAT CAPTURED A MOMENT
- A MOMENT THAT I DON'T SO MUCH CARE TO REMEMBER.
AT A TIME WHEN PHOTOGRAPHY ITSELF IS UNDERGOING A TREMENDOUS
TRANSFORMATION WITHIN POPULAR CULTURE AND THE ART WORLD ALIKE,
THE ACT OF APPROPRIATING HAS BECOME IMBUED WITH A NEW KIND OF ENERGY.
WITH A GALAXY OF IMAGES CIRCULATING WITHOUT BOUNDARIES, MOVING FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER,
WE CAN ONLY SPECULATE ON WHAT AN IMAGES FINAL RESTING PLACE(S), IF ANY, MAY BE.
EACH TIME THE CONTEXT OF A PHOTOGRAPH CHANGES, WHETHER IT BE A DIGITAL FILE OR A PHYSICAL PRINT,
THE WAYS IN WHICH IT IS EXPERIENCED, UNDERSTOOD AND REINTERPRETED WILL ALSO ADAPT.
THE ACT OF WORKING WITH OTHER PEOPLE'S PHOTOGRAPHS,
WHETHER THEY ARE NEW, OLD, PRINTS, DIGITAL FILES OR OTHERWISE,
HAS BEEN GIVEN A NEW RELEVANCE BY
THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF CONTEMPORARY LIFE AND IMAGE MAKING.
FEELINGS ARE FUNNY THINGS. THEY OFTEN FIND A WAY TO CONFUSE US
UNTIL WE DON'T QUITE KNOW OUR LEFT FROM OUR RIGHT;
OR MORE ACCURATELY AS IT WERE, OUR HAPPY FROM OUR SAD.
TOO HARD TO KEEP IS A PROJECT THAT GIVES AN
UNDERSTANDING NOD TO THIS MUDDLE OF EMOTIONS,
SERVING AS A PLACE TO SQUIRREL AWAY PHOTOS THAT YOU DON'T
WANT TO DESTROY BUT ARE ALSO TOO TOUGH, OR SAD MAKING TO KEEP AROUND.
THE ARCHIVE WORKS ON A NO QUESTIONS ASKED BASIS:
WHATEVER THE REASON FOR WANTING TO PURGE THE SNAP FROM YOUR LIFE,
JUST POP IT THROUGH TO FOUND JASON LAZARUS AND HE'LL MAKE SURE THAT IT STAYS SAFE AND SOUND.
A WANDER THROUGH THE PHOTO LIBRARY FILLS YOU WITH BURNING QUESTIONS
ABOUT THE WHO, WHY AND WHERE, BUT THERE'S SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT THE NOT KNOWING AS WELL.
A PICTURE CAN MEAN A THOUSAND WORDS - WHOEVER OWNED THAT ONE, JUST COULDN'T STAND TO HEAR THEM ANYMORE.
AT FLEA MARKETS I WILL OFTEN BUY A FEW RANDOM OLD PHOTOGRAPHS.
I HAVE A SHOE BOX FILLED WITH PHOTO BOOTH PHOTOS OF MY FRIENDS, POLAROIDS, PASSPORT PHOTOS.
AND READING THIS, I WONDERED WHETHER ONE DAY THE
PHOTOGRAPHS I LOVE SEEING NOW, OF PEOPLE I LOVE, MOMENTS I ADORE
WHETHER ONE DAY SOME OF THOSE PHOTOS WILL BE PUT AWAY,
AND NEVER SEEN AGAIN, BECAUSE THEY ARE TOO MUCH TO BARE.
TO SEE MORE PHOTOGRAPHS, OR TO SUBMIT A FEW OF YOUR OWN
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