Silver Glory by Katharine Kollman

Silver Glory by Katharine Kollman

July 3 - August 5, 2021
Zoom Talk Sunday, 7/18, 5:30pm.  Zoom ID 808 597 8733

 

Artist Statement

In the jewelry industry, “silver glory” is a chemical process by which we protect polished silver from tarnishing; it is a means of preventing a fine material from deteriorating.

Black and white film photography relies on photosensitive silver halides to exist as a medium.  This notion of protecting an element essential to a craft I love stirred something within me, and the term began to extend beyond workplace vernacular.  “Silver glory” became synonymous with preserving the beauty of black and white film.

As most of my subject matter relates to the ocean, this idea of preservation extended itself to encompass sustainability in the environment: to preserve and protect the precious life remaining in a world that has been deeply transfigured by our presence.

Our anthropocentric tendencies as humans suggest that we are more inclined to pay attention to that which we identify with.  My hope is that by offering congruencies between us, humans, and these quiet ocean inhabitants, we might find some motivation within ourselves to give more of our attention to our environment and the influence we exert upon it.

This installation serves as a reminder that when we remove ourselves from the artifice of this modern age and align with the natural world, we become part of that intrinsic beauty.