Picnic Photograph

The role of objects within photographs and photographs as objects in their own right are focal points of my creative practice. Arguably our belongings define us - as anthropologist Daniel Miller notes in his book 'The Comfort of Things', a sparsely decorated apartment can tell us just as much about its inhabitants as a densely furnished one - and, as such, I am interested in the way objects can form a portrait of their owner. These themes form a thread through my practice, starting in the series 'My Grandmother's House', which led onto the 'Vestiges' montage and most recently became an autobiographical study in the form of my 'Catherine Fuller, 1982-2010' project. Another particular point of interest that I explore in my work is the way in which objects have the ability to trigger a web of associations and memories that reach far beyond their physical form, and how photographic interpretation constantly evolves as a result of what the viewer brings to the image through their own life experiences. I investigate whether photography is deserving of its reputation as a recorder of memories, or whether it needs support through inclusion of text, other items or through the employment of techniques such as long exposures and composites. My work is therefore increasingly using a variety of media such as the hair and blood in my 'Catherine Fuller' piece (as a means of reinforcing the indexical presence of myself as the subject) and the post-it notes in 'Spend One More Hour With Me'.