Mary and Martha

The images for this project come from a photo by Al Amy, taken in 1956: two women employed by an expensive call girl ring being booked on prostitution. Just before the cameraman snaps the shutter, one woman pushes the other over to avoid having their faces photographed, a caring gesture in an otherwise harsh situation. The installation I made from the photograph zooms into the ‘crime scene’ with four different variations on the original photograph, one shoe, two legs, etc. Each photograph, printed on sheer cloth, is approximately three by four feet. The large cloth images are hung from parallel wires, with one light focused to shine through the sheer hanging photographs, casting a shadow on the wall that resembles an urban setting. There is just enough space between the hanging photographs for viewers to walk between them, shoulder to shoulder with the images, creating an intimacy between the viewer and the viewed.

Found footage