Ambiguous Sightings, 2024-25
Since Chelsea’s disappearance and losing both my grandparents 16 months thereafter (something I never expected to grieve without her alongside me), I have sought to physically imprint cathartic moments through my film photography ritual. It started when I made a pilgrimage to some of the places that Chelsea was last seen in Arizona. The name of this project skews the idea of a “confirmed sighting,” which is a term that the investigators use to describe the last time they were able to verify that my sister was seen (September 30, 2023). I am not trying to fix or get rid of my grief, but rather to metabolize it as I go, to acknowledge its continually arising and dissolving.
Because of Instagram, I have chosen not to post many photographs here. Please reach out if you’re curious to see more.
Williams, AZ Cemetery, 199 days after Chelsea was there (April 14, 2024)
Archival Inkjet Print from Scanned TX 400 Film
23×23 inches, framed
Chelsea was in this cemetery, crying about forgotten soldiers. There is body cam footage from a police officer talking to her in her car on September 28, 2023, 2 days before the last verified encounter with her on FR6 Northwest of Williams. Also taken during my April 2024 pilgrimage.
Ashfork gas station, 197 days after Chelsea was last seen (April 14, 2024)
Scanned TX 400 Film - size TBD
This seemed like the gas station where the locals go, so I put up one of my posters on the community board, next to some very faded old flyers and a new one selling alfalfa by the bale and under one for a community swap meet. The attendant was surprised she was still missing
Murphy's in Ashfork, 190 days after Chelsea's car was towed (April 14, 2024)
Scanned TX 400 Film - size TBD
Chelsea was last seen on 9/30/23, with 2 flat tires on FR6 northeast of Ashfork. Then her car was reported to the police, seemingly abandoned, on 10/5/23. We don't know what happened between those days in that remote area, but I do know her car was towed to Murphy's in Ashfork, AZ.
Fort Worden Ghost, 2024
Scanned TX 400 Film
The constant presence of Chelsea's absence is like a second shadow. This photograph shows the haunted feeling that I often feel. I also happened to take it in Fort Worden during my residency at Centrum in the S'Klallam homeland now known as Port Townsend, WA. While there was never active combat in these structures embedded into the gorgeous coastal landscape, there is a remnant of the fear and anticipation that wartime brings.
Anywhere, 2024
Scanned TX 400 Film - size TBD
The title "Anywhere" has two meanings. It is actually in Sierra Blanca, Texas, but there are no distinguishing features or names defining where it is so it could literally be anywhere. My parents and I exasperatedly say to each other once in a while, "she could be anywhere!" and since the ambiguous loss is a filter on all the lenses through which I make art, this became a symbolic meaning for places like this.