Sandy

“Sandy” is a photographic and conceptual project created in 2022, reflecting on the themes of impermanence, the power of nature, and the human role in both destruction and preservation. The origin of the project lies in a collection of original photographic slides documenting the sculptural work of renowned American artist Susan Reinhart, created in the 1970s and 1980s by unknown photographers. These slides were partially destroyed during a flood caused by Hurricane Sandy, which struck the artist’s home in October 2012. A decade later, in 2022, Dariusz Kanarek discovered the damaged slide collection in Reinhart’s studio. His contribution involved halting the ongoing degradation through selective digitization, restoration, and colorization. The resulting images reveal not only the original sculptures but also the marks left by time, water, salt, and chemical decay—transforming the works into something both altered and hauntingly beautiful. “Sandy” is more than a documentation—it is a metaphor. It reflects on the impact of global warming and the irreversible processes it sets in motion. It stands as a metaphorical attempt to stop destruction, initiated not by nature alone, but often by human actions. It’s a meditation on the passing of time, and how time affects not only the climate, but people and the things they create. It demonstrates how we can try to preserve what we did not create—how photography can become a tool for safeguarding cultural memory, much like protecting the Earth itself. These images, shaped by nature’s hand, often reveal striking colors, textures, and patterns. Though aesthetically compelling, they are the product of destructive and irreversible processes—the same kind of processes that, on a larger scale, threaten the stability of our civilization. “Sandy” poses essential questions: What does it mean to preserve something? Can we stop destruction even when we are not its direct cause?
 While the creator of what is being destroyed may be unknown, the force responsible often is not.
Through this project, Kanarek illustrates a poignant truth: what appears beautiful may, in fact, be a manifestation of the Earth’s destructive force, one that we must face before more is lost.