about the artist and the work
Biography
Heather Imrie has worked in commercial photography since graduating from the Fashion Institute of Technology in 1992. She lived in New York City for 10 years, Miami for 5 and moved back to Upstate and Western New York regions after the birth of her son, now 19. She spent many years working in Visual Merchandising before returning to her current career as a freelance photo stylist and on-set art director specializing in tabletop, bed styling and set design. She enjoys doing portrait and landscape photography.
Artist Statement: Mutilated Series
The Mutilated Series is comprised of images originally produced with 35 mm slide film that succumbed to damage from a flood while in storage. As a photographer in New York City in the '90s I was a purist that rejected digital manipulation, however I did use manipulations of process and printing. Interesting that the effects of the mold and water damage on these slides is very similar to widely available filters in our digital era of the 21st century. Now I accept all tools available to produce my desired result. When I discovered these damaged boxes of slides I initially thought all of this work is ruined but I found them to be compelling in their decaying beauty. The ephemeral quality of documentation, accelerated, makes them feel even more precious. More precious still when I realized that some of the people I photographed from that era are no longer with us. This serieres is an ode to my past and a pathway to future explorations of expression.