White Cells

White cancer cells that resemble dead fish. There are four fish.

Artist Statement: "Kami are the spirits or phenomena that are worshipped in the ancient Japanese religion of Shinto‭. ‬It is an animistic religion that incorporates elements of nature‭, ‬animals‭, ‬creationary forces in the universe‭, ‬as well as spirits of the revered deceased‭. ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

In Shinto‭, ‬Kami are not separate from nature‭, ‬but are of nature‭, ‬possessing positive and negative‭, ‬good and evil characteristics‭. ‬They are manifestations of musubi‭, the interconnecting energy of the universe and are considered exemplary of what humanity should strive towards‭. ‬Kami are believed to be "hidden" from this world‭, ‬and inhabit a complementary existence that mirrors‭ ‬our own‭ shinkai‭ (‬the world of the Kami‭). ‬To be in harmony with the awe inspiring aspects of nature is to be conscious of kannagara no michi‭ (‬the way of the Kami‭).‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Though the word Kami translates multiple ways into English‭, ‬no one English word expresses its full meaning‭. ‬Ambiguity in the meaning of Kami is necessary‭, ‬as it conveys the ambiguous nature of Kami themselves‭. ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

In this series‭, ‬the interpretive nature of the imagery is meant to be "read" as a cosmic message‭, ‬in the sense of seeing an omen‭. ‬These kinds of messages from the cosmos mark one's path through life and guide us along the way with an intuitive connection‭ ‬to a greater whole‭. ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Process‭: ‬‬‬

In this photo‭, ‬I am trying to push the illusion of the silver print beyond the normal black and white point that photographic paper has‭. ‬In so doing‭, ‬I work into a wet silver print with selective bleaching‭, ‬rinse the paper thoroughly‭, ‬and then work back into the surface with special dye inks to darken the silver further‭.‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬"