Tenacity (n.):
the determination to continue
At the root of Fieldnotes is an exchange. For my time and services as one of the community photographers, Shelly and I talked about making three portraits titled “Grace,” “Power,” & “Tenacity.”
For “Tenacity” we’ve crafted an ode to the friends and family who were lost within one group of friends: Jabari Benton, Jonathan Sandoval-Aleman, Millard Frazier Jr., and Olivia Lee.
The images are made in the chronology of each person’s passing. And most importantly, the process is collaborative—the relatives of the deceased choose who should be in the image and where they would like to honor their brother, son, sister, daughter, father.
In each image, we hold each other up, collectively sharing the weight of a shared history. And though grieving is personal and can be a lonely, individual experience, I hope there's comfort in knowing that we're holding that energy collectively.
The images described above, are then abstracted. The prints are left in water, releasing the spirits of the folks within them to do as they please to the piece; maybe it’s their response. Regardless, the remains are what is shared. Amidst the love and the grief contained in the histories of these images and people, the pieces also offer a glimpse into the importance and limitations of oral and documented histories in relationship to our ability to mark ourselves in time.
Noteable Awards + Recognition:
- 2023 Through Fire and Thunder, Image Equity Fellowship Group Exhibition
- 2022 Google Image Equity Fellow
