*Little Baby,* from the series Testament, Pigment Ink on Fiber Rag, 16 x 20 inches, 2014. © Jennifer Thoreson

Text and Images by Jennifer Thoreson

Interview by Ora Heard

How did your series Testament come to be?

It started with simply allowing myself to play in the studio—experimenting with new materials, re-imagining familiar materials, and gathering objects and bringing them into my space for observation. This part of the process was so fulfilling--I think the gathering phase is my favorite part of any new project. As I played, the materials started taking form into various sculptures; I made objects from wool fleeces, wool felt, latex rubber, cast plaster, even human hair. From there, I knew the sculptures needed to be installed, and I began thinking about a place for their installation which would carry a lot of weight and significance. I finally landed on a domestic space—I searched out and found a small house in Albuquerque that resembled the interior of my childhood home. I rented the house for a year with the help of grant funds from the Howard Frank Memorial Foundation. I activated every room in the house by installing the sculptures and made photographs as models enacted performances with them.

*Rubber Arms*, from the series Testament, Pigment Ink on Fiber Rag, 16 x 20 inches, 2014. © Jennifer Thoreson

Were there any challenges that came up while working on this project?

Oh of course, many. I love a good problem though; I enjoy the process of creative problem-solving. I think of it as bookends—the bookends are the limitations, either self-imposed to unify content, or those beyond my control. How can I be resourceful and use what is available to me to make this thing come to life? Working in an empty house was enormously challenging, it felt very vast and vacuous, the question of precisely how to fill it was a difficult one. I ended up hitting every local thrift store, and scouring the internet, even traveling back to my Texas home to bring in things that were authentic memories from my childhood, in as exacting detail as possible. It was a lot of work to find everything, but it really was such fun.

*White Mass,* from the series Testament, Pigment Ink on Fiber Rag, 16 x 20 inches, 2014. © Jennifer Thoreson

What do you want the viewer to take away from this series?

I think the metaphors embedded in this work are pretty open and relatable. While I doubt most people are thinking about religious institutions and questions surrounding faith when they look at the work, I think people do see power dynamics, compassion, failure in relationships, burden-bearing, and anxiety. Ultimately, I hope for viewers to find something they relate to, an embodied feeling they’ve known personally that has become tangible and fully expressed in the work.

*Soulmates,* from the series Testament, Pigment Ink on Fiber Rag, 16 x 20 inches, 2014. © Jennifer Thoreson

Describe your creative process in one word?

Meditative.

*Burial,* from the series Testament, Pigment Ink on Fiber Rag, 16 x 20 inches, 2014. © Jennifer Thoreson

What inspires you to pursue image-making?

I think about that a lot. Sometimes I truly do wish I could just switch it off, but the need to make-- the instinct I to use my hands to contribute to the world—it’s insatiable. I’m inspired by all sorts of things, mostly drawn from my own life experience. I’m trying to communicate and incite conversation surrounding the issues I care most about. All of my work is rooted in an exploration of faith, and how it manifests in the human experience. There are endless possibilities and questions under that umbrella, I’ll likely spend my entire career trying to sort them all out.

*Father Daughter,* from the series Testament, Pigment Ink on Fiber Rag, 16 x 20 inches, 2014. © Jennifer Thoreson

What was the last book you read or film you saw that inspired you?

Book: Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez. It investigates the history of White American Evangelicalism, patriarchy and power structures within Christianity, and the rise of Christian Nationalism.

On a lighter note—films? Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical. The performances are brilliant, and the imagery is a visual feast. I can’t stop singing the songs!

*Family Portrait,* from the series Testament, Pigment Ink on Fiber Rag, 16 x 20 inches, 2014. © Jennifer Thoreson

What advice would you give to people just starting out in photography?

Persist.

*Cancer,* from the series Testament, Pigment Ink on Fiber Rag, 16 x 20 inches, 2014. © Jennifer Thoreson

What is your favorite podcast to listen to?

Recently, the Liturgists Podcast, Richard Rohr and the Universal Christ. I love Richard’s ideas about how faith and life intertwine, and his empathetic, inclusive worldview.