Martin’s Army
Martin’s Army developed from my discovery of a box of dusty and damaged vintage toy soldiers. To understand what drew me to the collection, I explored the figurines using three photographic processes: a scanner, a camera and by composing photograms in the darkroom.
Viewing the forms in silhouette and from overhead, laid bare certain timeless gestures—the salute, striking, stabbing. I was sobered by the gestures and the reality of war as play for children. I combined warriors from different centuries and geographies. These compositions were enlarged into three by four-foot photographs, and the inevitability of war felt palpable. With a nod to working with toys, I also channeled humor in many of the photograms.
My work often looks for significance embedded in the residue of an object’s past life. This way of seeing allows me to value abandoned objects and give them voice in my projects. The viewer’s curiosity toward the subject matter opens the possibility for engagement; my intervention magnifies ideas latent in the objects.