Imagined
“Imagined” challenges a wistful view of America’s past and shows how images can reveal or mislead based on context or omission and the selective nature of memory. By creating digital composites of idyllic, imagined narratives using vintage postcards and photographs, layered on historic backgrounds of disruptive events of the time, I question the notion that “we need to go back to the way things were”.
The current polarized political environment has created feelings of frustration, anger and emotional distress. As a student of History, what I find troubling is that for some these emotions have led to an unseemly nostalgia. American history is marked by conflict and divisiveness; the last few years are not unique. What is unparalleled are the current, radically changed social communication technologies and their impact on what we deem as real. Photography once had a reasonable claim for reliable representation. This view is now being challenged by social media, new technologies and altered or decontextualized information. Perceptions of what is authentic are evolving into decisions based on biases and preferences, not on a complete set of facts or true representation.
In this project I’ve constructed imagined narratives using historic photographs and vintage postcards collected from antique stores, yard sales and online. The postcards, as nostalgic placeholders, tell simple tales of love, family and adventure. They represent an orderly, carefree world, a perceived counterpoint to now. However, if we want to imagine a past as an allegory for less tumultuous times; it would not be complete without acknowledging the disruptive events of the era. Leveraging historical research and photo archives, I add documentary evidence to show what was transpiring at the time the postcards were written. When presented as a faded background or small detail in the image or title, the factual past can be easily overlooked, the same way facts are ignored by those in search of a predetermined truth or reality. The past is never as perfect as we imagined even if we are selective in what we want to hold as absolute or what the content creator wants to reveal as truth. For that reason, ignoring the realities of the past and going back to the way things were is not a solution to the challenges we face today. We as a nation have a lot of which to be proud and ashamed. A key obstacle we face is coming to a mutual understanding of what is true based on an agreed set of facts and objectively question “what makes America great” then and now.