Transparency Series: Discretion Machines
Richard John Jones
(2019)
This new work by Richard John Jones consists of three different components, all of which are constructed in the same way. Each part of the triptych is based on a photo, combined with several layers of digitally printed transparent fabric and panels of cast resin.
Jones made the images at three different cruising grounds: the Nieuwe Meer in Amsterdam, the Aire de Clairlieu in France and the gay beach in Ostia, near Rome. Here he photographed abandoned objects such as key rings, jewellery, clothing, packaging and other types of waste, some of which can also be found in the work itself. Through these objects, the artist implicitly refers to the identity and presence of the people who use these locations.
In his practice, Jones more often makes use of abandoned or discarded items found in public. They are traces or indications of identities, which he can apply in his work. The presentation form of the triptych is in keeping with this: the format and the positioning in the space are reminiscent of a city map, on which people search for pieces of information about the identity of a place.