SUNJOO LEE

Who am I? What am I? What kind of person am I?

 

Every human being asks these questions at least once in his or her lifetime. People are destined to repeatedly ask the question of their existence and this longing is inevitably amplified over time; it is never diminished. These are the contemplations that led me to create my Black Memorabilia series.

 

“I think; therefore I am.” - Rene Descartes

As Descartes quotes, I am alive as long as I am thinking. My existence, reasoning and memories reside in a space called time, one that creates a beautiful harmony between the memories that disappear and the ones that linger.

 

At some point I’ve caught myself taking pictures without a camera. I indulge in photographic moments when I am walking slowly in a street full of crowded people. I find visual abnormalities in commonplace situations. Sometimes, I fall into deep thought when I come across an object that reminds me of a very personal, particular memory.

 

I ponder my future as I live in the present, knowing that my current memories will evolve into memories of the past. I am continuously in the pursuit of expressing a multi-dimensional perspective using the collections of my physical memorabilia as well as the remainings of my colorful memories.

 

I believe that the idea of existence and reasoning ultimately emerge from the remnants and experiences gathered from the interactions between relationships and events in one’s life.

 

I think as I see and feel as a I think. When I am composing my photographs, I see, feel and think simultaneously to show my emotional range.

 

The objects in my photography are either portrayed in black, nearing complete darkness or in white, nearing complete exposure -- both of which at first make it hard to identify the actual object. I’ve applied this technique to show the audience that photography is something that should be seen beyond what meets the eye. I would like people to stop, feel and question with their entire body the idea of their existence.

 

The Black Memorabilia series is about hearing with no sound, pondering without sight, and grasping memories that are no longer tangible.