JADE
By Jenna Saraco
Interview by Egan Parks
EP Can you give a little bit of background on your practice? How you came to photography and what it looks like now for you?
JS I studied photography in school and received a BFA in fine art. I always loved the camera as a tool of recording and documenting things. It was in school I also learned I was a collector. I was drawn to the idea of collecting, and documenting these collections. It's through photography that I think so much is recorded, whether it be objects that are important to you, places that you've connected with or memories that you want to keep. I think photography for me now is still that tool for documenting and recording, but there are more organic and poetic ways of capturing things than I had before. I hope to keep expanding my idea of photography and how it communicates my point of view
EP What is JADE about and why did you feel like Sardinia was the place you wanted to make it?
JS The project was sparked by an image of my father on one of his voyages across the Atlantic ocean from New York to Italy. When he was a young boy my grandmother would take him and my aunt by ship to visit their family. This image is of my father as an altar boy, surrounded by women in floral and lace dresses, and priests in their traditional costume. The costume, fabrics, and nostalgia for another time and place was the foundation for my project in Sardinia. I was looking to travel to Italy to start this project. My family is from southern Italy, and Sardinia felt closely linked with the islands coastline and history.
Jade, the subject being photographed, is a New Yorker born and raised which I love. I am also from New York, and this connection to the city is important to me. It feels grounding. She came to my studio in New York and tried on the pieces I created in Sardinia.
EP A good part of the work seems to also be about the styling which it looks like you did yourself. What was the idea behind the styling? It reads more like a conversation between the subject and the materials than a conventional styling which I really love.
JS These images are very much about the styling or lack thereof. At first I tried the pieces on myself, sort of collaged them together to create different combinations. The fabrics themselves are very old, vintage pieces I've collected or from my grandmother's collections. I use home fabrics, kitchen fabrics, and lace pieces to create a connection with my family's history, with women's history. Once I've made something I like, I let my subject style themselves, feeling their way through the materials, and assembling how they feel most comfortable. It ends up being a more provocative way of utilizing these fabrics that once adorned windows, dressers, or kitchen counters.
EP I came across you work through Either/And which I really loved and was very inspired by. Now that you are moving on from that project (sadly) what are you hoping to do? What sort of things do you feel like you learned by doing Either/And.
JS Thank you so much! I also loved Either And, and working on all the creative projects that came out of it. It was wonderful to have such a beautiful community that we could create with and be supported by. Now that we're moving on from Either And, I'm using more of my time and energy to focus on independent projects and personal work. I'm drawn to home objects, still life, and sculptural elements. I hope to incorporate this more into my photography practice moving forward. Creating worlds that can live between fashion and interior design.
