Jen Meller

⁣April 4th and 20th, 2020 in Brooklyn, New York.

“Adaption: Courtney Love”

Image 1— “Adaption: Courtney Love” made on April 4th, 2020. ⁣

Image 2— “Adaption: Patti Smith” made on April 20th, 2020 in Brooklyn, New York. ⁣

Photographs by artist Jen Meller

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A note from the artist: “In the start of quarantine in Brooklyn, NY, I came down as one of the first wave of sick people. I spent my first few weeks of quarantine in bed in an apartment alone. As I laid there, all I could think was, “If I get out of this one, I don’t want to look back on this moment in quarantine 10 years from now and wonder what I spent all my time doing.” As I got better, I dreamt up a plan. To cycle my time between things I love, or have loved. Something of a pie chart filled with exercise, teaching at Bric Arts, flute playing, editing my short film Venus. But when I got to the photography portion on this pie chart, I knew I needed a new project to occupy me, photo editing wasn’t going to be enough. That’s where I developed the adaptation project. Adaptations are an exercise typically given to students when learning photography, it tests their ability to recognize and recreate light, costume, and camera angles. This was something I always had a knack for, and as a photographer/ video shooter, I missed working more than anything. I decided to ask people via Instagram for photos, film stills, illustrations, or paintings they wished to see me recreate. Since I have a full studio lighting kit, my apartment has become my playground. Every shoot is different, each night, and different wigs. I’m on day 49 alone in my apartment, and it is the self-care project I needed. There’s always another adaptation to be made.”