Artist Statement
Artist Statement
I spent much of my childhood with people my grandparent's age, or alone in an attic with my imagination. Therefore, I devoted exceptionally long periods of time observing in lieu of interacting, which set the stage for my analytical sociologist mindset, old-fashioned tendencies, and eye for documentation. When I discovered photography in my youth, it was a welcome form of connection and the painstakingly nostalgic side of me found pleasure in tangibly preserving memories. Not only could I freeze time in images and share the subtle beauty in the world around us, but I could transmit what I was thinking and feeling without words.
Since then, I have ventured with a camera in hand to more countries worldwide than I have states, always searching for a sense of belonging and home. It has been predominantly a solo exploration where I was consistently drawn to places with a lengthy history, amazing cuisine, and welcoming people.
Years later I found myself living in the city of New Orleans. A place that feels stuck in the past in just the right ways, a bit Caribbean in colour and climate, a tad European in demeanor, slightly Southern, but overall very unique and inspiring. And although I do not presently have the means or time to travel as much as I once did, I almost do not miss it, since Southeast Louisiana had been my favourite place to visit in the U.S. I feel grateful to be able to exist in a region that contains such interesting people, historic architecture, and tempting cuisine where music is seemingly always in the air. In addition, its ever-changing and vulnerable nature has provided encouragement for me to actively document the everyday, where once photography had been reserved for detailing travels.
My photography subject matter has shifted throughout my life in reaction to new influences, experiences and passions, but the still photograph has remained for me above all else an embodiment of nostalgia and reflection; a way to remember the simple beauty in the everyday, whether the built world, a detail in nature, an experience, place, or an individual at a moment within their perpetually moving time line of life. I hope to be able to capture a piece of your story.
~Ami Jastrzemski
