Angela Shaffer
Birthday Balloon, Archival Inkject Print, 16 in. X 20 in. | 2021
Moth’s Web, Archival Inkject Print, 24 in. X 30 in. | 2021
STATEMENT
Images taken from series: for dear life
Motherhood magnifies the severity and fragility of time. As my son rapidly grows into new versions
of himself, I beg for time to slow. These photographs are a response to the emotional labor of
motherhood in relation to the persistence of time. Staged tableaus depict my neuroses as fictions.
Functioning as both document and metaphor, the images reference impermanence, loss, fear, and
uncertainty of what lies ahead.
With a mixture of sentiment and anxiety, the control I bring to the image making feels necessary to
wrestle with my son’s burgeoning independence. As he continues to age, I attempt to contain him.
Time is a thief and photographs become a way to cope.