Unidentified Woman – Wistful

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Artist: Jodi Colella

Title: Unidentified Woman – Wistful

Attribution: Wistful, part of Unidentified Women series, 2018, Jodi Colella

Year: 2018

Materials: Found tintype, cotton thread

Dimensions: 3x4 inches

Image Statement: Struck by the poignant anonymity of the Historic Northampton's daguerreotypes I was inspired to scour flea markets for similar images which I then altered with raw and idiosyncratic stitches that call attention to the Unidentified Woman whose name is long forgotten. This Obsolete photographic process aligns with today's social media, both as a means that allow people to alter their public identity through the curation of carefully chosen images. I stitch together past and present identity politics and insert myself to provide an alternative chronology where expression replaces suppression and sewing equals activism.