Kaileigh Clark

What do we leave behind when we are gone, and what stories do these items hold?

I have grown a passion and interest for storytelling throughout my past four years as a Melrose High Art student. I believe many of our most important stories can be found in the items we leave behind, whether it is a chair, mattress, or discarded ice cream container. I often wonder how certain objects and things came to be left behind by strangers. The items we surround ourselves with will often tell a story without words but instead create a picture. Who owned the item, and why did they choose to leave it behind for good?

For my final body of work, I chose to photograph the things we leave behind and will, more likely than not, will never retrieve. I do not know the owners of these items and most likely never will. However, each item holds a different and ever-changing story, and the background can be interrupted by those around. In their own way, every item was loved or cherished by someone, no matter how long it lasted. Each item in the collection was once purchased by someone and later discarded for trash or perhaps lost.

To create the final work, I spent several months tracking the trash schedule for both Melrose and surrounding areas and often driving aimlessly until I located a once-perfect object on the side of the road. No two objects come from the same location or the same owner.

What stories will the objects in our lives tell others? What will we leave behind?