EM GOT LOST IN LA – 20 PLACES IN WHICH SHE COULDN’T FIND HERSELF
“EM GOT LOST IN LA – 20 places in which she couldn’t find herself” is a small book created during my MA Photography at Falmouth University, Cornwall. I have been asked to be inspired by one or more Edward Ruscha’s books, being completely free in the interpretation of his work and in its creation.
I opted to express how I am currently feeling: as an individual who has lost her dreams, her inspiration, herself.
I decided to create a fictional character, Em, who is living the same situation and is asking for help, who needs to be found. She is a woman mirroring another woman (me), but also representing a spiritual, psychological and emotional condition shared by many artists and individuals.
Visiting Los Angeles for the second time, I had the chance to see how many “lost souls” inhabit its streets and I dedicated this very simple book to them, too.
I used many elements that can be found in Ruscha’s works: gas stations, cactuses, palm trees, a swimming pool, glass, painting, parking lots, cityscapes, real estates, streets of Los Angeles and others, but I decided to use my personal style and perspective in a sort of sad and emotional version of “Where is Wally?”.
Since I decided to use a retro black and white style for my images’ post-production, I opted to print it in a very basic style, almost like an old notebook because, often, difficult situations have simple solutions.
In this case, for instance, I tried to find my lost artistic inspiration and happiness wandering the streets of LA and physically looking for them, by giving them a humanised form I could chase.
There are no descriptions of my images, but simple captions starting with a “Last seen…” and providing the exact location in which Em can be found.
Did you find her?
Subject and Photographs:
©Dayana Sharon Marconi 2017. Copyright for images and videos belongs solely to Dayana Sharon Marconi. All materials might not be used or downloaded without her permission.
Created in Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Venice Beach, CA, USA.