HELLO NEIGHBOR - Wish We Were There!

title: Wish We Were There!

artist: Amy Fleming

materials: archival inkjet prints

dimensions: window: 25x42 inches prints: 4x6 inches

location: Sycamore, Illinois, USA

Wish We Were There! is a collection of archival inkjet prints that were taken during the summer of 2019. The title of this collection is a play on the common phrase Wish You Were Here! which is often seen on postcards and the size of the photographs is also similar to the size of these tourist memorabilia. The translucent nature of the photographic paper allows the artist to view the installation from the inside along with people taking walks and children playing outside during this new reality. As well as being able to see the photographs from the inside, the way light comes in through the window produces different shadows throughout the day, which is a way that the artist can enjoy this installation, that the outside viewer cannot.  

"The photographs depict physical places and a more desirable time that the artist would rather be during this time of self isolation. The photographs allow the viewer to reminisce on their own memories of being able to freely travel or visit places that they may not be able to visit during the stay at home order."

Amy Fleming is a MFA candidate at Northern Illinois University with an emphasis in photography. She is a graduate teaching assistant and teaches Beginning Digital Photography at the college level. Her work has been featured in SIU's LUX Fine Art Photography Journal on three separate occasions, she was featured in Golden: Alumni Two-Person Award Exhibition at Northern Illinois University, she attended the LAUNCH Chicago Artist Coalition Residency and has also shown in several other exhibitions. Follow her on Instagram: @amyflemwad

More on Amy Fleming's practice:

Through her photographs, Amy Fleming is exploring themes of belief, evidence, and the need for human connection. Most of her work focuses on her relationship with mental illness, as well as her relationship with her partner who also suffers from mental illness. Using her camera as a tool to keep herself engaged, she is capturing tender and vulnerable moments of their lives together.

Amy Fleming's window installation Wish We Were There!