Poignant Pics no. 28: On Maureen Bond's "Untitled (House)"
Welcome to no. 28 in our series Poignant Pics where our editor, Diana Nicholette Jeon, writes about Maureen Bond’s image “Untitled (House)”.
Untitled (House)
I became acquainted with Maureen Bond earlier this year when I engaged more with photographers using Twitter. Recently I was looking at her Instagram account and saw this image, Untitled (House). It leaped off the page at me instantly. I literally fell in love at first sight.
For me, this is an incredibly serendipitous image. The subject matter, the areas that lack chemical development, and the dreamy pink with the more dire coral all converge to emphasize both the subject matter and the media used. The brokenness works to underscore the abandonment of the home; the pink the romanticization of film, instant photography, and our notions of home; the coral/brown to call attention to the disparity of these as they snuggle up with each other.
While this image is not something that she could manufacture on demand due to the nature of the polaroid film, I do hope Maureen continues to push these explorations so that it leads to me seeing many more splendiferous images such as this one. I wish my own Polaroid work was nearly as compelling.
Thank you, Maureen, for leading me to this ‘house’.
— Diana Nicholette Jeon
Artist Bio
Maureen Bond is a self-taught photographer living in Los Angeles, CA. Maureen has been working in education for over 20 years.
Maureen‘s approach to photography revolves around random moments and overlooked compositions. She has a unique style, voice, and story and this shows in her images. She enjoys shooting film and digital with a love for plastic toy cameras, the historical processes as well as the lensless niche of pinhole and solargraphy.
Bond’s work has been shown in group exhibitions at Praxis Gallery, PhotoPlace Gallery, Photoville LA, Lightbox Photographic Gallery, A Smith Gallery, Litha Moon Gallery, Darkroom Gallery and the Los Angels Center of Photography.
Additionally, Maureen’s photographs are featured in publications such as the Los Angels Times, artillery Magazine, Lenscratch, Travel Nevada, F-Stop Magazine, Don’t Take Pictures, UTATA, Pryme Magazine and others.
More of her work may be found on her website as well as on Instagram and Flickr
writer Bio
Diana Nicholette Jeon is a Honolulu, HI-based artist and an editor at One Twelve.