photo essay - Jeanne Finley ~ J-Fin Photography

Material Remains

A series in progress, Material Remains uses the analogy of archaeology, as per its definition, to document “human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture.” I look for present-day evidence of what we have abandoned, overlooked, secretly communicated, or left behind, purposely or accidentally, and leave the analysis to the viewer. There’s beauty as well as decay (and irony) in this process: nature slowly takes over the remains of human endeavor––some of which was designed to forestall or combat nature in the first place.

Working on this series, I often see despoilment, loss, apathy, or anonymity. Sometimes I find a little hope, and occasionally humor. How would an archaeologist from the future describe us?