© Tracy L. Chandler from the series "A Poor Sort of Memory"

Tell us about your approach to photography in general. How did it all start?  What about your educational path? 

Trach L. Chandler (TLC): I began making pictures as a teen skateboarder. Photography was a way for me to both observe and participate in a community, while making photo projects gave me a way to simplify the chaos of experience into stories and concepts. Although my interests have evolved since then, that general approach of using the camera for discovery and projects to filter still holds true to this day.

I received my MFA in Photography from the Hartford Art School in 2021. 20 years prior, I had received my Bachelors Degree from the University of Washington with a major in geography and cartography. How are these connected? Geography is the study of the physical features of the earth and of human activity as it affects and is affected by land, and cartography is the graphic representation of these processes. To me, photography is the same thing... a means to study, organize, and pictorially represent the world around us. Yet neither a map nor a photograph are the reality itself. They are both mere stand-ins. Pointers. Subjective distortions.

© Tracy L. Chandler from the series "A Poor Sort of Memory"

© Tracy L. Chandler from the series "A Poor Sort of Memory"

What are the themes that interest you, what generally attracts your observation? How do you envision or conceptualize the projects?

TLC: I am very interested in humanity, especially people and their relationship to place, whether that be a physical location like a desert or a conceptual place like home. But I am also interested in time and how that complexifies matters. I often work with memory, stages of life, and time passing. Photography is a beautifully flawed way to confront all these themes.

I tend to work in a feedback loop between idea and observation. I take a seed notion, often sparked by something in my personal life, then write and research, photograph and observe in a reciprocal process until the work becomes more distilled. In the beginning I ask a lot of questions and try a lot of things and most of it is a total messy failure but that’s a good thing as now I have something to work with and my job is to feel out what is most true to me and strip away the rest.

I tend to use a 4x5 view camera. It is entirely impractical but I prefer the slow methodical process. I often research. Sometimes that will be looking into the facts about a subject... the history, politics, science, etc. but can also be more artistic or tangential research like reading poetry or watching films. Most effective is in-person physical research, actually being in the place or spending time with the person.

I also I have a network of friends and mentors that I share my work with at key junctures and vice versa. It is helpful to have opinions from someone with a keen eye and sense of goodwill.

© Tracy L. Chandler from the series "A Poor Sort of Memory"

Tell us about the project "A Poor Sort Of Memory" selected for the Urbanautica Institute Awards? What is the motivation and the theme you addressed?

TLC: "A Poor Sort of Memory" is a collection of photographs made in my hometown in the California desert. I would visit sites of specific childhood memories to craft a loose photographic fiction with themes of loss and coming of age. I also include portraits of my own son as the narrative’s protagonist and as a projection for my past experience.

What are the practical difficulties you faced in its development?

The desert is a very impractical place. The heat and wind are major things to contend with, especially with a view camera. But more than these physical challenges, the work was emotionally hard to make. I was digging into deep traumatic memories as I revisited these places from my past. Growing up was not easy and I was now seeing my own son face his own coming of age. Ultimately, I was forced to let go of parts of my story to see the picture in front of me, and to see my son’s future as his own.

© Tracy L. Chandler from the series "A Poor Sort of Memory"

© Tracy L. Chandler from the series "A Poor Sort of Memory"

How does this work fit in your identity statement as a photographer and if relates any with your previous works?

This work is the most overtly personal, especially by including photographs from my actual home and of my own son. Ultimately I am trying to find balance between salience, narrative, and flow. It just has to feel right. My past work all stemmed from my own life in some way but typically looks at communities, place, or object metaphor more conceptually. I post my work online and enjoy social media like everyone else, but I tend to really connect to others and get inspired by art IRL. That can be crit groups, gallery shows, book festivals, and museums. This is
problematic as I am also an introvert so books are by far the most impactful for me. They are private handheld art experiences.

It's not easy to pursue the authorial path, it requires time, energy and resources. What strategies do you adopt?

TLC: I keep a fairly consistent daily routine. I have a family to look after and work to do but I try to touch my “art” at least once a day, even if only for a few minutes. Keeping that connection is key. I treat my moods like the weather and just keep showing up for my work. I fail all the time and just start again the next day.

© Tracy L. Chandler from the series "A Poor Sort of Memory"

Any interesting books that you recommend and that recently inspired you and why? 

One of my favorites is the "Hero With A Thousand Faces" by Joseph Campbell. In it he discusses the “hero’s journey,” the idea that all humans are on a sacred quest to discover their true selves through an external voyage of peril and conflict that returns them right back to where they started fully realized; and that this notion is reflected in art throughout the history of human civilization and culture, from cave paintings, to greek mythology, to the Star Wars movies. I believe photography and photobooks do too.

Who or what does influence your work in particular? Is there any contemporary artist, photographer or writer you'd like to quote or mention?

TLC: My work is most influenced by my personal lived experience, nature, and the process of artmaking itself. But I do have favorite artists that I pull inspiration from, notably Georgia O’Keefe, Catherine Opie, Tehching Hsieh, Reineke Dykstra, Larry Sultan, and Andy Goldsworthy.

How important it is to showcase your work. What about exhibitions or other forms? Any tips or experience to share?

TLC: For me, the showing of the work is only the period at the end of the sentence. I get much more out of the process of making and discovery. Maybe that is why I take my time with making my work. That being said, there is something nice about closing the loop and sending it off in the world to take on a life of its own. As for forms, I love collaborating on group shows, sharing space and seeing the work on the wall. But like I mentioned before, the book object holds the most interest for me. I try to make a book of some sort out of all of my projects, even if they will never be published.

© Tracy L. Chandler from the series "A Poor Sort of Memory"

© Tracy L. Chandler from the series "A Poor Sort of Memory"

© Tracy L. Chandler from the series "A Poor Sort of Memory"

And do you have any projects in the pipeline? Or topics you would like to address?

TLC: I am just starting to work on a project that I consider a meditation on water. Water is not only a powerful source of serenity and survival, but also a commodified and politicized natural resource. I am using photography to help me with this contemplation. I am just getting started so we’ll see what comes of it.

LINKS

Tracy L. Chandler
Winner Urbanautica Institute Annual Awards 2021