about
Photographic-objects and how they transform their subjects fascinate me. Particularly, I am interested in photographic meditations on the surface. Currently I focus on society’s conflicted relationship with firearms. Guns are contentious and violent tools of destructions, yet essential in defining the American sense of rugged independence. As a culture we’re split on how we discuss these deadly mechanisms. This series was initially inspired by our nation’s controversial access to high-powered guns and tragic events such as the Newton Massacre and murder of Tamir Rice. I’m often taken aback when the media discuss citizen and police armament following any active shooter event. Do the gun industry, congressional regulation, and we as collective have culpability in the prevalence of gun violence? Though active-shooter and deadly-force situations are increasingly common - it should come as no surprise considering the glamorization of these devises from childhood and throughout popular culture. Some of these images could initially be mistaken as real firearms, but this series of photographs depicts only plastic toy guns. These toy guns were fabricated with a certain level of faithfulness, but close inspection reveals a flawed, imperfect surface and flimsy construction. I have a parallel approach in photographing the toys; I look to authentically reproduce them by revealing their mass and texture, yet questioning the underlying iconography and function of the objects.
