Breaking Ground: A discovery of recyclable art & the photographic process by Samantha Kelly
There is a bin in the photography lab at my school that is filled with photographs, hats, paper and lost negatives. The past two semesters I have watched this box fill to the brim become a paper ruckus. It is supposed to be a collection of lost imagery and/or supplies. In addition to the bin, we have trashcans in our digital printing labs and darkrooms. I have seen the bin and many cans filled with prints that considered “messed up” and therefore unwanted and unusable.
It is a sad sight to see prints in the trash. As a photographer I feel sorry for these two-dimensional objects. I felt sorry for the trees that the paper had come from. I felt sorry for the artist who had to come to a point where they deemed their work unusable. I felt sorry for the lost of art; art that had ended up in a trashcan.
Upon hearing about Hotel Palomar’s Sustainability Show (Philadelphia’s only ‘green’ hotel) I thought to myself, how can I use these images that were considered unusable? How can I give a second life to images that were lost? I decided to collect the photographs I had seen in the bin and imagery from the trash.
I knew I wanted to make something new but I was not sure exactly what I was going to do. I started by fashioning a tree house-like sculpture made from the found objects. I included a fence made of an old black and white sepia-toned print and made the roof from found 35mm negatives. While it was challenging to use glue with the 35mm film, it was the perfect shape and gave an excellent representation of a tree house roof. I enjoyed seeing how different images can work together. Usually, we post our own photos side by side one another and discuss juxtaposition, but with my tree house I was literally collaging and building with images that I had no emotional attachment to. I think if I were to use my own images I would have been more hesitant to cut, glue and tie.
After the tree house shape began to form, I separated myself from the piece and visited Hotel Palomar. I wanted to see first hand the Hotel’s dedication to sustainability. I left the Hotel inspired—loved their attention to detail in everything from the doorknobs to their whimsically decorated elevators. I had a break-through experience and felt ready to return to creating my piece.
Continuing with the idea of tree and tree houses as a theme I began to sculpt what would ultimately become “Breaking Ground.” The piece itself is a journey through the photo process, including everything from film canisters to toned fiber prints. I liked discovering and working with the medium in a new way.
It was also wonderful to see other people’s work at the Hotel’s sustainable art show and speak with them about their experience using recyclable art. I also got to watchwith pleasure as others smiled in interest over my piece. An artist, no matter the medium, will do anything for smiles!
Sam Kelly is a Philadelphia artist and student at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art. Her BFA Exhibition titled The Smile Project begins May 5.
