The Lower Left series emerged organically as I sought out subjects for still life photographs, framing each one while adhering to the "lower left" guideline. It started as an exercise in composition perhaps looking for a fresh perspective on familiar objects; it transformed into a wholly different process. The items, once tucked away in a dusty box or forgotten in the back of a drawer, surfaced for re-examination - some unseen and unexamined for decades, not yet having met their "Marie Kondo moment."

 

As I proceeded this became an introspective process, I pondered why these specific artefacts endured through downsizing, multiple share houses and relocations. What kept them preserved and part to my life? Was it out of deference to the item's significance, its giver, its origin, or its representation of something deeply meaningful?

 

The realisation struck that this series wasn't merely a compositional exercise; it became a profound examination of the narratives and histories carried by these items. Each photograph served as a portal to introspection, asking questions about the histories I had kept (and of those that I have disposed of).

 

Unlike a mere catalogue, this series became a journey into unexamined aspects of life, catching me off guard as it unfolded. If, as Socrates suggested, "the unexamined life is not worth living for a human being," the "Lower Left" series provided an unexpected process that surpassed my initial intentions.

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Edwin Daughtry