Kathleen Rugh

My artwork centers around the psychological effects of the spaces we inhabit. In my day-to-day life I find it far too easy to lack an awareness of these places, which thus prevents me from being conscious of their true nature. The all but ignored spaces of our daily routines affect us in ways we don’t fully comprehend. Through the film and photographic medium I find a type of isolation that allows me to have a greater awareness of my surroundings and the effects that they have on me.

I use the camera’s lens and the medium of film and photography to consistently observe my surroundings, whether that be my apartment, studio, or neighborhood. While these places invariably change through the years they act as representations of a given point in my life. These images act as visual diaries but they also demonstrate a persistent examination of the seemingly mundane elements of these routine spaces. Being conscious of these apparently uninteresting details creates in me a self-reflective state for contemplating the transitory and cyclical patterns of life.