WASTED BEAUTY: TRASHSCAPES
PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHANTAL DESLANCES-DAHAN
Exhibition: February 3-28, 2009
Opening Reception: Friday, February 6, 09, 7:00-9:00
Pratt Manhattan CCPS Gallery - 2nd Floor
Gallery Hours Mon - Thus 10-8, Fri - Sun 10-4

PROJECT STATEMENT
Wasted Beauty: Trashscapes is an ongoing project documenting the sad habit of tossing trash (food wrappers, bottles, cups and cans, etc.) anywhere but in a trashcan. This project started in September 2006 after taking a trip to Providence, Rhode Island. There, I had come across a diet coke can floating in the pond of a Japanese garden. Although it saddened me to see that a can had been tossed in such an inappropriate place, I could not help but finding some kind of beauty in it. I started to photograph a couple of similar items in and around the garden. When I returned to New York, I turned these photographs into an actual project.

This project follows two ground rules. The first one is that each element is photographed "as found" on various locations (parks, gardens, beaches, waterfronts, ponds, fountains, and in the street) without any set up whatsoever,although I don't shoot in a traditional documentary style. All photographs show real trash left by people. The second one is to maintain a consistent aesthetic approach. I want this project to go beyond documentary photography that would merely catalogue outdoor detritus. Instead, I have tried to offer a unique artistic point of view through an "aesthetization" of my subjects. By photographing objects one at a time rather than undescript piles of waste, I approach trash as fascinating still-lifes laden with stories to tell. My use of light puts each element at the center stage of my photographs with an intention of conveying a sense of beauty.

BIOGRAPHY
Chantal Deslances-Dahan is a French-born US-based photographic artist who has lived in New York since 2005. Since starting photography in 2004, Chantal has been exploring urban and industrial environments, primarily in Paris and New York. Her composition is often minimal. She rarely shoots a place as a whole but instead likes to focus on details and capture small fragments.

A law graduate, Chantal also holds a Certificate in Photography and Digital Imaging from the Pratt Institute, Center for Continuing and Professional Studies. Wasted Beauty: Trashscapes is her first exhibition.