WONDERING LOOP
by JOE RUDKO
This collage is made of thousands of found photographs; hand cut and arranged to form a single pathway that travels across the wall and loops back to connect with itself. The photographs are original Kodak Instamatics, a format widely used in the 1960’s and 70’s and heavily referenced in the filters and square format popularized by social media and image processing applications today. By sorting the image fragments by color, a gradient of color will undulate throughout the piece. This line visualizes the interconnectedness of memory, our cyclical relationship with the past, and the desire to document and share our experiences as we meander through time. The splicing of thousands of photographs together visually echoes a filmstrip and the pre-digital process of editing films. The wandering and looping shape of the line guides the viewer as they walk alongside the wall and the narrowness of the corridor allows for an up-close view of the found photographs.
ARTIST STATEMENT
My work examines the role that photography plays when communicating ideas, feelings, and truths. I use techniques of physical collage to manipulate found photographs. I cut, tear, and reorganize the fragments to break the illusion of the pristine historic photograph and suggest the variety of interpretations an image can have. Working with analog methods in a post-analog era places these antiquated snapshots in dialogue with the present moment.
