Marita
Gootee

Poolside

It is a hot summer day and what is more fun than to take a swim in a cool refreshing pool? The pool is the American icon for summer. It is a status symbol and one of independence. It is the symbol of the American suburbia. These images explore the romance of this icon. The dreamlike quality of the lazy summer day is juxtaposed to the reality of wasteful consumerism. They are the carefree and careless time prior to the housing market crash. They also speak to the present, as they are ghosts of a place to return and the fading colors of dreams vanishing.
The subjects float quietly across the surface of the pool. They are both playful and menacing. The light reflecting on the floating raft becomes a pool dance on the film. The figures are many times blurred. This creates a dreamlike - if not - mystical feel to the imagery. The blue of the pool diffuses the bold colors during the two-minute exposure with the 8x10 pinhole camera on to the last of the 809 Polaroid film.