Karine Cossette B.
Morts-Vivants - all Inkjet Print mounted on wood, 43 X 36 in, 500$
Drop-Out - C-Print, 30X25 in, 300$
"Human beings have always defined themselves by fabricating numerous objects with which to complement themselves. We are now surrounded by theses functional, decorative and symbolic objects we keep producing. But what about those objects that, through the matrix of circumstances, have lost the purpose they previously had? I am particularly interested in those items, and try to make them visible through color photography.
My work explore public space and objects that are found within it, captured in this short lapse of time between the end of their usual life and the their final destruction. They are often unnoticed and forgotten--objects which, though mundane, have been accidentally placed in an unusual situation. By escaping the control of ownership and out of the context of their original and intended use, they acquire new meaning and develop their own presence. However, they still show glimpses from their past. Like artifacts or evidences, they call for investigation and evoke hidden stories, whose reconstruction is free to everyone. Regurgitated at a fast pace through our frantic consumption, they carry a life experience nostalgically manifested in their wear and tear. Defying forgetfulness, they glitter with panache their last flamboyancy, displaying a neglected but captivating beauty.
Anonymous but significant accidents, the subjects of my photographs interpret public space as a creative space where intentionality is not essential to the work of art. Even though they are the results of a non-creative process, theses situations are charged with an artistic potential. The medium of photography, in contrast to appropriation, allows me to give access to these objects without decontextualizing them physically. In a way, these relics of contemporary life could be seen as a primal material, ready-mades in a natural state, indeed in their original environment."