• Instant Classic (2020-)
  •  
  • Family Fictions (2017-2020)
  •  
  • When a Stranger Comes To Town (2015-2016)
  •  
  • I See You (2007-2012)
  •  
  • Then/Now (2002-2005)
  •  
  • C.V.
  •  
  • Connect

 

Work Statement

In my project, Instant Classic, my collaborator, Shane VanOosterhout, and I have been sleuthing and acquiring anonymous Polaroids circa 1960-2000. Discarded photo albums, shoeboxes packed with forgotten snapshots; images lost beneath decades of clutter. Years ago, our subjects showed up for a Christmas party, a romantic encounter, 10th grade geometry. Responding to cues from what we perceive in these Polaroids, we add poignant and humorous phrases from our personal journals and recent conversations – inner thoughts we imagine the individuals and their observers may be thinking and feeling.

Friends from childhood, we grew up a block apart from each other – simultaneously following and deciphering the codes of preppy suburbia. Irony and sarcasm were our preferred secret language – this is how we buffered our tender, emerging identities against what we perceived as the winds of deadly conformity. Looking in the rear view mirror in our 50s, we aim to give an empathic and humorous voice to our subjects.

For Gen X kids, the Polaroid SX-70 was a magical device, producing an on-the-spot tangible photo which recorded a heartbeat of time. With the push of a red button and a synchronous buzz, the moment became evidence. In today’s digital universe, we remain transfixed by the Polaroid camera’s clever design and the vibrant memory-object it leaves behind. You can see more of my work with Shane on our website at www.lizandshanestudio.com


If I Gave A Damn About Any Of This I'd Be A Different Person

If I Gave A Damn About Any Of This I'd Be A Different Person

Archival Pigment Print, 8.5" x 11", 2021

This Dream Scares Me But I Know It's Normal

This Dream Scares Me But I Know It's Normal

Archival Pigment Print, 8.5" x 11", 2021

This Meaningless Obsession With Beauty Has Caused Me Grief

This Meaningless Obsession With Beauty Has Caused Me Grief

Archival Pigment Print, 8.5" x 11", 2021

Is There No End To All This Happiness?

Is There No End To All This Happiness?

Archival Pigment Print, 8.5" x 11", 2021

I Hide Things From Myself

I Hide Things From Myself

Archival Pigment Print, 8.5" x 11", 2021

Other People Don't Worry About What You Worry About Half As Much

Other People Don't Worry About What You Worry About Half As Much

Archival Pigment Print, 8.5" x 11", 2022

The Meanings Reveal Themselves

The Meanings Reveal Themselves

Archival Pigment Print, 8.5" x 11", 2021

Everything's So Placid No One Would've Known

Everything's So Placid No One Would've Known

Archival Pigment Print, 8.5" x 11", 2021

People In California Are Nicer

People In California Are Nicer

Archival Pigment Print, 8.5" x 11", 2021

Someone Had To Be Responsible

Someone Had To Be Responsible

Archival Pigment Print 8.5" x 11", 2021

You Can't Just Sit Around Feeling Sorry For Yourself

You Can't Just Sit Around Feeling Sorry For Yourself

Archival Pigment Print, 8.5" x 11", 2020

I Could Really Go For Him

I Could Really Go For Him

Archival Pigment Print, 8.5" x 11", 2021

Let's Not Examine How Perfect Things Are

Let's Not Examine How Perfect Things Are

Archival Pigment Print, 8.5" x 11", 2021

I Always Felt You'd Never Want To Be Friends With Me

I Always Felt You'd Never Want To Be Friends With Me

Archival Pigment Print, 8.5" x 11", 2021

There Are Only So Many Feelings In The World

There Are Only So Many Feelings In The World

Archival Pigment Print, 8.5" x 11", 2021

I'm Only Doing This Because I'm A Victim Of The System

I'm Only Doing This Because I'm A Victim Of The System

Archival Pigment Print, 8.5" x 11", 2021

He Is Paralyzingly Boring

He Is Paralyzingly Boring

Archival Pigment Print, 8.5" x 11", 2021

The Excitement Of Meeting People Is Wearing Off

The Excitement Of Meeting People Is Wearing Off

Archival Pigment Print, 8.5" x 11", 2022

What You Count On Happening Probably Will

What You Count On Happening Probably Will

Archival Pigment Print, 8.5" x 11", 2021

I'm Waiting To See What Happens Next

I'm Waiting To See What Happens Next

Archival Pigment Print, 8.5" x 11", 2021

This Is Going To Be My Intellectual Year

This Is Going To Be My Intellectual Year

Archival Pigment Print, 8.5" x 11", 2022

Try Not to Please Everyone So Much

Try Not to Please Everyone So Much

Archival Pigment Print, 8.5" x 11", 2021

I'm Blown Away By My Own Genius

I'm Blown Away By My Own Genius

Archival Pigment Print, 8.5" x 11", 2022

I Want You To Know It's All Over

I Want You To Know It's All Over

Archival Pigment Print, 8.5" x 11", 2022

I Eased Into It Without Making Any Announcements

I Eased Into It Without Making Any Announcements

Archival Pigment Print, 8.5" x 11", 2021

Risking Terminal Brain Agitation

Risking Terminal Brain Agitation

Archival Pigment Print, 8.5" x 11", 2022

I Feel Like They're Setting Me Up For Something Really Big

I Feel Like They're Setting Me Up For Something Really Big

Archival Pigment Print, 8.5" x 11", 2022

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images and text © Liz Albert 2022