Mum and Dads Room, Evelyn Novak, 2021
My work explores the concept of preservation, infinite moments and the way the spaces we live in hold memory. Here, an image of my mother and brother in our family cottage taken when I was young, is intentionally printed in a way where the ink doesn't properly adhere to the paper. The photo comes out wet, the ink moves and the image distorts. Immediately after printing I pour preserving salt over the photo. The salt adheres to the wet ink in an attempt to physically preserve the image along with the emotion and memory that this specific moment holds. The salt blurs the lines making the image exude warmth.
My hope is that making the photo less tangible breaks the barrier of what is easily recognized and understood and the personal energy that is held within the moment becomes more accessible to others. This work documents the process of trying to figure out how to understand, grow and move forward from the parts of my life I want to hold on to and share with some sort of grace and love for what once was.