Tablets
Tablets is a body of work consisting of photographs that I took of Greek and Roman sculptures printed on cast iPads. I cast each tablet in a rubber mold with a durable type of plaster called hydrocal. Once the cast hydrocal tablet has dried, it is coated with spray primer, and then coated with a transparent watercolor ground. Next I print a digital negative and head to the darkroom. I hand coat an archival Platinum Palladium Na2 emulsion on top of the watercolor ground, place the digital negative on top of the emulsion, and expose the image with UV light. The print is then developed, cleared, and washed. Once dry, I paint the edges with enamel paint, and then coat the surface with archival MSA varnish. Each tablet attaches to the wall with a metal cleat.
Humans have been transmitting information on tablets as a means of communication for thousands of years. Earlier civilizations inscribed clay or stone. Many of these ancient tablets still survive and can be seen in collections across the world. Today we share information with each other on smart phones and tablet computers. The content we send and receive on our tablets is virtual, thus lacking materiality. When the life cycle of our smart device is exhausted, it becomes ubiquitous E-trash, showing no evidence of the personalized story it held. The technological development of smart devices is a monolithic component of our culture; It has fundamentally changed our global communication. I compare ancient and contemporary monument building and create an archival image on a handmade tablet.