Role-Playing

In 2000, shortly after inheriting camera equipment from my mentor’s estate, I made use of one particular gift item called an extension tube (useful for close-up, or “macro,” photography). I didn’t realise it at the time, but this little accessory became the start of a playful study 10 years in the making, and ultimately took me back to a nineteenth-century printmaking technique.

I began with everyday objects and arranged them like props in a miniature stage setting. The first to perform in the principal role was a ceramic guitar player. The supporting cast included plant leaves and a white box. Carefully art directed, the ensemble was photographed under available light with the help of a simple desk lamp. Upon review, the small clay figure appeared surprisingly relevant and imposing – effectively dramatised by the magnifying powers of the extension tube.

As the series evolved, it triggered new ideas. For example, some objects were given multiple roles, as is the case with performers of a repertory theatre. I imagine the great Russian actor and director Konstantin Stanislavski would have approved of this role-playing. He once declared, “There are no small parts, only small actors.” In life, we, too, should pay attention to his message: no role is so small that it can be ignored, including the role of objects.