ENTRY DESCRIPTION
The fragility of human existence, a beautiful concept despite its constant danger, is much like the fragility of a negative. These photographs stand as a reminder that at some point, we will break, but there is purpose behind our brokenness, and we are made to endure such difficulties. Exposed to harsh elements of our environment, represented in these photos by fire, so often we are torn, burnt, crumbled and in desperate need of repair.

The performance of sewing the negatives is a cathartic release. Even after sewing, the negative was never restored to its original state. The delicacy of the thread--the thin, easily breakable things we use to mend ourselves together again--are just as fragile as we are, and do not ensure full recovery. Using a needle and thread to repair the deconstructed negative is a metaphor for our inevitable frailty, the work is a reminder that in the end, we are not destroyed, we are mended.

AUTHOR
Dannah Gottlieb (b. 1997, Georgia) is a photographer working across several genres to explore modes of perception, representation and to experiment with new ways of seeing. Mediating the friction between the body and the cultural history of images, her work abstracts the ordinary as a spectacle for greater social commentary. From an observant and intimate process that involves close collaboration with her subjects, Dannah’s work often acts as a device for exploring the psychological underside. Dannah currently lives and works in New York.

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