Occupied

I am interested in the different ways people understand, use, and care for the spaces around them. What is left behind that shows presence, and is that trace intentional or a byproduct of use? How are spaces used beyond their intention? With this in mind, I use photography to highlight how public bathroom spaces are used around the city of Portland. Through spending countless hours photographing bathrooms, I am slowly building a visual language to convey the remnants of care or neglect found. The bathroom is something designed with a clear primary purpose, yet the space becomes extremely complex when carefully considered. Bathrooms present a safe and vulnerable space, which changes through our experiences and between locations. It is a place to care for oneself, making it valuable to everyone, yet they remain overlooked. I use my photographs to bring attention to their multivalence and allow them to live as shapes and forms beyond their intended use, but not completely removed from it, as a bathroom remains important as a bathroom