22:17=1.294

Manipulating letter-sized paper through organic and artificial means, this body of photographic works encapsulates our capacity to envisage new possibilities from limited information contained within constraints. Navigating through constraints provided by standardized camera and printing formats is intrinsic to working with photography. In considering the notion of format constraints, I became interested in the most widely used format of our daily lives: letter size, with its aspect ratio of 22:17=1.294 creating bounds within which all types of information is contained. 

The process of gaining new information can be likened to moving toward light in darkness to enter a previously unknown world or opening the door to a new room. Exploring this idea, I photographed letter-size paper contrasted against a dark background, whereby the visual information on the paper symbolizes a view of an unknown landscape that can be seen from a dimly lit room. Departing from my previous landscape works, this series of still-life photography explores how abstract visual information contained within standard paper might evoke images of unfamiliar landscapes through the use of colour, composition and texture. 

Drawing upon my continuous exploration of the interplay between the natural and artificial, this series combines processes based on chance and control: including mindfully tearing paper, wetting the paper, letting humidity dictate how it warps, and manipulating colour. The tear in the paper resembles the passage of the moon seen in the night sky; the paper shaped by humidity embodies natural formations; and the saturated colours reflect the light source changing with the time of the day. These organic and artificial visual elements interact on letter-size paper, creating an allusion of a fragmented view and inviting the viewer to imagine unfamiliar landscapes. In this way, this body of work highlights how we process limited information to discover new possibilities.