The original motivation for this project came from an artist residency in 2019 in Maine. The theme of the residency was “War and Genocide” and the particpants came from around the world. I try to come to residencies prepared with materials, thoughts, and possible approaches. In this case, my premise was that both war and genocide have the consequences of wiping from memory people and history. Having studied the work of Carl Jung, I knew that he considered water an archetype for the unconscious. The location along a quiet river was ideal for my concept. If photographs of myself were taken through the surface of the water, the resulting images might reveal an unconscious aspect of my identity. Later I began to take these “through the water” photographs around the world.
