site-specific intervention, archival pigment
prints
variable
2009
The term "Déjà Visite" meaning (already visited) defines one of the three nuances of
Déjà Vu and refers to geography and spatial dimensions.
The "Déjà Visite" project is a nomadic site-specific intervention, where postcards
from bygone eras are returned to their original place of postmark. Ultimately the
postcards are smuggled back into local postcard racks among contemporary images
of the postmarked location, completing a journey at times over 100 years long and by
chance providing the tourist or shopkeeper a glimpse into yesteryear. An icon of the
tourist and part of the traveling experience, the postcard acts as a time stamp, over
time creating a visual archive from different eras of a given place, providing a window
into the evolution of a site, as well as illuminating the buildings, people, dress,
technology, and language, which no longer exist.
The postcards are acquired from online auction sites, which are then shipped to my
current location and scanned for archival prints. The project is activated when
traveling to a place, or from my current place of residence. "Déjà Visite" is installed
horizontally as a collection of archival prints of the given sites postcards.