Half life: a portrait of Lauren.

For the past several years, I have been working on a book project about the life and suicide of a close friend. The project is comprised of photographs and collected writings that Lauren and I shared throughout the six years we knew each other, and photographs and documents created now, after. Having been confronted by a haunting absence, I want to make evidence of her with my photographs. It is a challenging process to try to document something that is no longer here. I intend it as an investigation of loss and a look into the liminal space between deterioration and permanence, memory and photography. My process of examination is slow and reflective; my understanding of Lauren and the loss is achieved in part by visiting and revisiting sites that become markers of our relationship, influenced by the passage of time. Writing for this project is essential: It describes the unseen path of history. Lauren's own words give an intimate glimpse into her thoughts and a love we shared. I hope to make an honest portrait of her with this book--a place for her to have her own voice.

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For more information about this project please visit www.laurenproject.org and for background and other projects please peruse www.jaymuhlin.com.