Semaphore                                            

2019 - 2022

 

Archival pigment prints

13” image on 17" paper, edition of 6

select images also 20" image size on 24" paper, edition of 3

 

Semaphore examines the shift in my perspective after having been diagnosed seven years ago with Parkinson’s disease. Through images, I consider what it means to integrate this life-altering information into my sense of self. What does acceptance look like?

 

Post diagnosis, everyday items and experiences take on new meaning. New tasks top my “to do” list each day. Simple tools now present a challenge. Uncertainty pervades the periphery surfacing my vulnerability. As I look around me, the branches of trees become networks of neurons or resemble tendons in my wrist imaged by an MRI. Acknowledging these signals facilitates the process of adaptation. Optimism holds the key for me right now. Light, always an inspiration, illuminates a path for me to follow. And I go. 

 

Parkinson’s disease is currently the world’s fastest growing brain disorder. Currently, over ten million people live with Parkinson’s worldwide. While this project is relevant to the Parkinson’s community, it also connects with others whose journeys require growth, patience, and perseverance to move forward.

 

This year I published a book of this project with Kehrer Verlag. The book has 96 pages, includes 67 images, and an essay by Rebecca Senf, PhD, Chief Curator at the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona, in Tucson.