For his exhibition suburban spirits in 2017 Sean O’Connell worked with objects that were highly significant to his deceased grandparents. His careful selection of these objects, the representations that he made of them, and the way that they were ordered in both the exhibition and the catalogue, gave these objects their archival quality.
These images are pages taken directly from the catalogue. The text for each image has been copied here.
Above (left), my grandfather’s headband loupe that he wore constantly when engraving, peering into the minutiae of his work. Opposite (right), the loupe imaged by x-ray photography, using Industrex T200 radiographic film.
Above (left), a milling tool made by my grandfather during his tool-making apprenticeship in Germany. Opposite (right), the cutting head of the tool imaged by 60kV DC spark discharge over Arista orthographic film.
Above (left), my grandmother and myself, dressed to please, 1979. Opposite (right), my grandmother’s kitchen scissors, always at the ready to cut, imaged through 35kV DC spark discharge over Ilford Ortho Plus orthographic film.
Above (left), my grandmother’s kitchen scales, used daily, and repaired constantly with glue and sticky tape. Opposite (right), the mechanism of the kitchen scales imaged through x-ray photography using Industrex T200 radiographic film.
