Chrys Carroll (aka Chrys Laramy)



As a photographer when I turn a conscious eye on the world, mundane moments gain the clarity and beauty of a fresh perspective. The ordinariness of a half-lit face yawning, the tender curve of fingers around a pregnant belly or a man sleeping become provocative renderings of heartfelt subject matter. Community, diversity, family and self-exploration are just some of the themes I have explored. Through pure documentation of the everyday and staged expressions of a disquieted state of mind; I have revealed much of myself, while also turning the mirror on the viewer. In “BlackMale,” a 1999 photography/video installation, I’ve used photography to shine a light on men that prevented me from being forgotten. The camera’s been there to give me perspective while in the midst of a depression recorded in a 2000 journal entry. I used it to get through a difficult pregnancy and an even crueler death as reflected in “Remain,” a 2004 photography/video installation. I use photography because words aren’t enough. It is a tool to show a particular reality, which does not exist. Each one’s reality being colored by their particular experience and therefore all interpretation is skewed. Nonetheless, I take pictures to remember. I take pictures to be remembered.