Anatomies of Melancholy

The works presented in Anatomies of Melancholy explore the residual affects of pain and trauma through photography. By combining personal stories with documentary photography this body of work conveys a tension between the (in)visibility of pain and the need to speak*. Through the process of spending time with individuals and discussing their personal trauma while making photographs, I hope to acknowledge and even conserve the pain of others. Though the images do not include a narrative of the subjects\u27 pain, they are able to communicate and begin a visual discourse. The raw and emotive images become a platform for the viewer to empathize with the pain of others or understand their own pain. I am interested in a photograph\u27s power to console, articulate and offer a map of our experiences. Anatomies of Melancholy questions the stigmatization of pain by serving as a reminder that it is a human condition, felt by all. *Reinhardt, Mark, Holly Edwards and Erina Dugganne. Beautiful Suffering: Photography and the Traffic in Pain, 11