LEFT & LOST
LEFT & LOST is an investigation into abandoned spaces and the forces they undergo through time.
I have always been intrigued by abandoned buildings and thoroughly enjoyed exploring them and attempting to discover the lives they had before I came across them. What they were used for, what they are used for now, just about anything I can find out about them. For this project I photograph the abandoned space, edit the photo, create a physical print, attach a note to the back explaining the project and then return to the location where the photo was taken. I leave the print where the image was made in the space. Over a period of days, weeks and even months I return to find the print and photograph it again in order to document the changes it has undergone since my last visit. Sometimes the print has moved a few inches or even a few feet. Sometimes the print has fallen apart due to rain or animal activity. And sometimes the print is nowhere to be found. After the fourth visit, at least a month after the print was left, I retrieve any prints I am able to find. Below are images of the prints I was able to find.
This project is the project I completed and had an exhibition for as one of my graduation requirements from the ECU School of Art & Design.
The following images are from when I first started working on this project, before it became my senior project. Because I began the project during the pandemic I was unable to use the nice photo printers that the ECU photo department had and resorted to having prints made by the now non-existent Costco photo counter. The prints were low quality and on glossy paper that after being left for months deteriorated quickly and fell apart. After Costco closed their in-store photo counters I moved to having my prints made by Walmart which, after being left out for months, turned different shades of pink but still held up decently.
Inception of the Idea
When I started considering making this idea my senior project I knew that I had to change a few things. The prints needed to be larger (the originals were both 4x6 and 8x10) and they needed to be on nicer paper that would hold up better but still be susceptible to anything they might encounter. I tested out many different types of paper but ultimately settled on Moab Entrada Rag Bright 300 as it was a robust paper that would hold up well but would be able to trap more dirt and stains due to the fact that it was a matte rather than a glossy paper. I also choose to print the images in black and white rather than in color so that the alterations and changes the prints undergo are the main focus which would not be the case if they were in color. Below are images that display a large version of the printed image on the right, then on the left there are four images. They depict the printed image in smaller form, then 3 images documenting the print in the space over time. Bellow these images are the printed images again but this time they are able to be enlarged if you wish to view them more closely.
