Lyn Swett Miller | Compost Muse & Metaphor [09/22/22]

Compost: Muse & Metaphor

Lyn Swett Miller

September 19 – November 28, 2022

Artist Reception - 3 November, 2022 6.30 to 8pm

[Winchester, MA]—THE GRIFFIN MUSEUM OF PHOTOGRAPHY is pleased to present photographer Lyn Swett Miller at the Griffin Museum satellite gallery, WinCam (Winchester Community Access & Media).

Compost Muse & Metaphor looks at the beauty of what remains, the idea of impermanence and that life around us is everchanging. A call to action, Swett Miller showcases the beauty and transformation of our own detritus.

From Swett Miller’s artist statement –

When I dump compost into the bin behind our garage, avocado peels, orange rinds and eggshells mix and mingle, creating textured and colorful tapestries. How can food waste be so beautiful? I am in awe of the kaleidoscope of nitrogen and carbon rich materials that nourish the soil and the soul.

While a single bucket of compost can feel inconsequential, when I keep showing up, this weekly ‘chore’ impacts not just the waste stream and my inner climate activist, but also my sense of personal equilibrium in uncertain times. The images are square, like the bin itself. There are no hierarchies. Each one reveals a necessary reciprocity and balance between the diverse materials as well as between me and the natural world.

Over the course of twelve years, I’ve processed three tons of my family’s food waste, one bucket-full at a time as well as ten tons from a local cafe. In the process, compost became my muse and metaphor, inspiring me to explore the detritus of our lives. Objects, like a vintage Shakespeare and my mother-in-law’s thesaurus found new meaning when mixed with food scraps, inspiring questions about not just food waste and consumption, but also about privilege and the power of narrative.

I live in Hanover, NH where I have spent the past fifteen years trying to figure out what it takes for a suburban family of four to live sustainably. In response to profound climate grief, practical actions like composting gave me a sense of purpose. I am a founding member of the Sustainable Hanover Committee and have found a voice for my activism through photography.

As the climate reaches a tipping point, composting enriches the soil and these images educate, inspire and provide meditations on the power of regeneration, transformation and renewal.

About Lyn Swett Miller

I am an emerging climate photographer happiest mucking around with the detritus of life. While investigating compost, landfills and other aspects of our material world, I create visual meditations on the power of regeneration, transformation and renewal.

For the past two decades, I have been exploring what it takes for a suburban family of four to live sustainably. While my early work focused on documenting the beauty and power of all those actions on climate ‘to do’ lists, I now explore the dynamic relationship between myself and the material world. “Subjects” are no longer “taken,” but are instead collaborators with whom I learn to cultivate kinship

Compost is my muse and metaphor and is where I go to make sense of the world. Photography enables me to share the beauty I see in our waste and the possibilities for joy embodied in the apparent mess. My work offers deeply personal narratives that inspire conversation about consumption and our relationships to people, place and possessions.

My hope is that this work inspires you to reframe how you think about the climate crisis.

Perhaps the images of compost on this site will make you smile and see that there is joy in re-imagining our relationships to just about everything.

Visit the Griffin

The Griffin Museum of Photography is open Tuesday through Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. The museum is closed on Monday.

General admission is $9 for adults; $5 for seniors. Members and children under 12 are admitted free. Admission is free to all every Thursday, 2 to 4 p.m. For more information, call 781.729.1158, or visit www.griffinmuseum.org.

WinCam is located in Winchester, at 32 Swanton Road, Winchester, MA 01890

The WinCam Gallery hours are Monday: 11am – 7pmTuesday: 11am – 7pm Wednesday: 11am – 7pm Thursday: 1pm – 9pm Friday: 1pm – 7pm Saturday: 10am – 3pm select Saturdays. Call for availability. (781) 721-2050

About the Griffin Museum

The Griffin Museum of Photography was founded in 1992 to provide a forum for the exhibition of both historic and contemporary photography. The Museum houses three galleries dedicated solely to the exploration of photographic arts: The Main Gallery, which features rotating exhibits from some of the world’s leading photographers, the Atelier Gallery and Griffin Gallery dedicated to showcasing the works of prominent, up-and-coming artists. The Griffin is also home to the extensive archives of museum founder and world-renowned photojournalist Arthur Griffin. The Griffin Museum of Photography also maintains 2 additional satellite galleries: Lafayette City Center Passageway in Boston Downtown Crossing, in Winchester @WinCam at Winchester Community Access and Media. For more on the Griffin Museum of Photography, visit www.griffinmuseum.org.

Lyn Swett Miller | Compost Muse & Metaphor

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Lyn Swett Miller | Compost Muse & Metaphor

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