Inspired by Broomberg and Chanarin’s ‘Scarti’ and through a mystery in the university of South Wales’ printing lab, this project was formed.
'Discarded’ is a collection of fragments of other peoples work. Broken from frustration, anger or boredom; incorrect by fault of hardware; experiments on paper; printer cleaning rituals and images simply forgotten about, each of these pieces serves to represent what is behind the images as finished products that we see on a daily basis; the struggle and perseverance a group of students has had to pertain a satisfactory quality in their image.
It begins with one of my own images, omitted from ‘Miner’s Fortnight’, where I had left a frustrated note about the colours on the print for a technician to see. Days later, another print from an anonymous photographer lay next to mine, sparking up a mental conversation about our gripes in the print room. I continued to scan dozens of collected prints, now we see them anonymously as connected and disconnected as you like. With their associated scratches and scars, tears and folds, from floors, tables, dustbins and bags, they allow us to see into how photographers work, breaking down the image-making process into sizeable chunks and allowing the understanding of the pressure of the quest for the perfect print.