Sandman

Sandman was inspired by a late night conversation between friends. We remarked on our tendency to fix our experiences into memory by taking and sharing photographs. This spawned the half-serious idea of collecting and exchanging vials of sand instead. 

Curious about how this practice would affect memory formation, I experimented on myself for just under 2 years. During this time, I collected sand in all the places I would usually take photographs. 

From within caves, to along coastlines, on mountain summits and from forest floors — I collected sand wherever I found myself hoping for a Kodak moment. When I had no ready containers, I stuffed my pockets. I’d later empty out these samples onto my desk at home and sort them with the enthusiasm of an amateur geologist.   

I learned about memory formation, the land beneath my feet, and about inventorying and curating archives. 

Sandman houses a collection of samples from South Africa, Denmark, Peru, Germany, Egypt, and France. These photos are a small part of the archive in my personal care (some fragments have been “rehomed” in private collections).