indistinct chatter
Indistinct chatter
Anyone who has watched films or ‘tv’ series with the subtitles on, is familiar with the term ‘Indistinct chatter’. This is when there is the sound of conversation but the words are not significant to the script, it is purely about building atmosphere. To me this represents all conversations and stories, embedded in the walls of our homes.
The residue of lives once lived, reside in the curtains and the carpets. It echoes in the cushions of lounge chairs and chipped ornaments. I wanted to create a series of photographs which examine the idea of domestic spaces in states of transition. You are either packing up or packing out, it is the chatter that can not quite be heard.
The term ‘liminal space’ is in the current zeitgeist of contemporary culture, exemplified by images on the internet, of backrooms, cinema hallways and empty playgrounds. A reaction to the current ‘state of the world’. The wish for people to be comforted by the familiarity of nostalgia, yet intrigued by its emptiness, these spaces are in a state of in between or transition, something that has been an ongoing investigation in my work.
In previous series, I have explored the theatricality of the domestic space, ‘indistinct chatter’ continues that exploration, with a focus on the temporary nature of these spaces. The ‘set-like’ nature of these domestic spaces give the images a sense of the uncanny. It is unclear whether the paintings are going up on the wall or have just been taken down. Has the ornament just been unpacked or is it being packed up, unwanted, unloved, destined for the op shop.
Throughout our lives we experience a variety of transitions and changes which impact the way we view the world. Births-deaths, marriage-divorce, childhood to adolescence, influencing how we live, where we live and what environment we live in.
Last year I experienced the loss of a parent and the moving out of my first born child, to study, far away and across the waters. I went through the process of packing up of the past for two very different reasons. The things that surround us, as we build our lives, carry our memories.
Presenting this work as light-boxes emphasises the room-like quality of the images. Illuminated for us to peer in as if someone has just exited the space and left the lights on. Printed as Fujitrans*, has enhanced the vibrancy, tempting us to observe the details of these spaces, telling their stories.
* I was told by my printer, that the machine used to print these images is being decommissioned, as old technology is replaced by new, we shared mutual disappointment, as the quality of the printing is unique to this machine and the closest you can get to a chemical based print.
