PP Catalogue McMullen Gallery by Cara Jones

PEOPLEPAPER

APHOTOGRAPHYSERIESBY

Cara Jones

PEOPLE PAPER

Exploring text on the body and the experience of being "read" or "judged" by people became a personal fascination at a young age. I would cover my denim jeans with my thoughts in blue and red ink and write lines of poems on my skin.

Growing up with various medical conditions, I struggled with how society perceived my (dis) abilities and began documenting my experiences through poetry. It brought me solace during a time when the outside world projected many false parameters between me and what I could achieve. "You can't judge a book by its cover" became a mantra while experiencing the prejudices and discrimination I faced as a woman and person with disabilities Yet, at the same time, those adversities catalyzed my life's work as an artist and community development professional

PHOTOGRAPHY

My series, People Paper, began with my introduction to photography in my first year of art school in 1997. Like a painter's brush, my camera is a tool I use to explore and document the relationship between language, perception, and environment. I incorporate handwritten text in my work to infuse myself into the portrait By placing the subjects in diverse settings, I combine elements that reflect my experiences captured in the poems

Over the last 20 years, I experimented with various materials to write on the skin of my subjects, and I found that eyeliner pencil was the best medium for the series. The thick texture moves quickly across various skin types, creating an ideal method of transferring text on the body.

The People Paper series began with the classic Mamiya C Series – Twin-Lens Medium Format Camera and a single lens 35 mm camera. However, in 2007, I embraced the digital era, incorporating a digital camera into my practice. Despite this shift, I maintained a commitment to minimalism in post-production, making only a few alterations in Photoshop

PERFORMANCE

During the People Paper series's early years, I enlisted fellow artists' help to write my poems across my skin and entered public spaces. As onlookers tried to read the text with only fragments available for consumption, many asked for access to the complete poems.

The performance was not just an experiment but an interactive experience that invited strangers to express their curiosity and desire to read the entire text It served as a commentary on the intricate choices individuals make about what they reveal to the world.

The series has evolved, including spoken word poetry and video and live adaptations. These performances are an essential component of the work that helps me build trust and empathy through sharing some of my most vulnerable thoughts with those who choose to be a part if it