Claire Fletcher

Rural Asphyxiation presents a collection of hand-manipulated photographic darkroom prints bound into a unique state artist's book. The book presents selected photographic works from Fletcher’s personal archive taken over the last five years. By physically intervening in the surfaces of the photographs, the collection mimics the fragmented nature of memories, capturing the essence and experience of place.

Fletcher uses manipulation as an impetus to create exaggerated sensation in her work. Rural Asphyxiation utilises a hybrid of experimental manipulations, such as hand colouring with oil paint and collage, to intervene into the imagery. The intuitively executed manipulations use bold, vibrant colours, geometric cut-outs, and layered imagery to obscure, highlight, and activate the images.