Sarah Samaan Photography

Light Castings

In this series of still life and small scenes photographs, I am exploring the undercurrents that have influenced and defined me. Creating these images is both meditative and painful, as I use the objects as conduits for my thoughts, emotions, aspirations, and regrets.

As with owl castings, these objects represent the indigestible and often dangerous vestiges of my personal and family history. There is something pulling me in this direction, a need that feels itchy and uncomfortable like a scab. It sometimes seems as if these excursions into the subconscious would be better left alone, but I feel compelled to go deeper.

As a person of mixed heritage, I am influenced by my sense of being neither here nor there, not one nor the other. My grandmother’s linens and lace contrast with her contempt for my father’s dark countenance. I am both, my ancestry baked in my bones and my spirit. Through this work, I explore ideas of identity, belonging, and alienation. It can feel safe even when unsettling because my images can be held at a distance.

The stories we tell ourselves are often a means of self-protection. Although I learned to grow a rigid casing to shield my soft center, the life force within demanded its say. That is the place from which these images seek the light.