• Instant Classic (2021-)
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  • Family Fictions (2016-)
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  • When a Stranger Comes To Town (2015-2016)
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  • I See You (2007-2012)
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  • Then/Now (2002-2005)
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  • 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

If I Gave A Damn

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This Dream Scares Me But I Know It's Normal

This Dream Scares Me But I Know It's Normal

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This Meaningless Obsession

This Meaningless Obsession

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Is There No End To All This Happiness?

Is There No End To All This Happiness?

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I Hide Things From Myself

I Hide Things From Myself

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The Meanings Reveal Themselves

The Meanings Reveal Themselves

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Everything's So Placid No One Would've Known

Everything's So Placid No One Would've Known

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People In California Are Nicer

People In California Are Nicer

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Someone Had To Be Responsible

Someone Had To Be Responsible

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You Can't Just Sit Around Feeling Sorry For Yourself

You Can't Just Sit Around Feeling Sorry For Yourself

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I Could Really Go For Him

I Could Really Go For Him

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Let's Not Examine How Perfect Things Are

Let's Not Examine How Perfect Things Are

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

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

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There Are Only So Many Feelings In The World

There Are Only So Many Feelings In The World

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Try Not To Please Everyone So Much

Try Not To Please Everyone So Much

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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

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He Is Paralyzingly Boring

He Is Paralyzingly Boring

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I'm Waiting To See What Happens Next

I'm Waiting To See What Happens Next

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I Eased Into It And Didn't Make Any Announcements

I Eased Into It And Didn't Make Any Announcements

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