Having scoured a flea market in Carnon, France for old photographs, I finally found a collection of photographs all mixed together in an old shoe box. They dated from early 1900s till the early 70s and were clearly taken from family albums judging from the traces of glue and paper on their backs. Possibly several histories all thrown together or zero connection whatsoever? Some of them were still in the original paper envelopes from the developping labs, on one of them someone had written the word ‘divers’ (in french diverse or miscellaneous)…this seemed the obvious start or finish to a title for a show.

I selected over 35 for source material and then interpreted them into a series of paintings on porcelain which I call phossils. They became part of an installation called Loopdivers and were submerged underwater in large black buckets in a low lit room. The audience, now immersed in darkness, were obliged to peer into these dark pools and view the porcelain paintings (phossils). Every now and then their view was obscured as drops of water fell from leaking buckets in the ceiling, breaking the surface of the water, temporarily robbing the viewer of the submerged image.
The installation included a hauntingly beautiful soundscape composed by Carmen B and James S.Taylor, which hinted at both the rhythm of the dripping water and the delicate nature of memory itself.
CB 2016