What happens when a childhood photograph becomes more than a memory? Town Hall’s Fall Artist-in-Residence, Jocelyn R.C. invites audiences behind the scenes of an evolving participatory portrait project exploring time, memory, and identity. In preparation for her upcoming residency, we chatted with Jocelyn about photography’s relationship with time and breaking the mold on the traditional artist talk.
What was the inspiration for this project?
I started this project in October 2025 as a technical exploration of projecting photographs onto portrait subjects. I didn’t plan for it to continue beyond that month, but after I saw the first ten portraits together as a collection, I was hit with some feelings — most notably, a sense of comfort. I find it unsettling to live in a social climate that seems to reward conflict over compromise, and encourage us to focus on the things that divide us. This project, in some ways, is my attempt to push back against that feeling–not by pretending our differences don’t exist, but by reminding us that we all share a similar beginning. We were all once babies and little kids, trying to figure out the world with varying degrees of curiosity, wonder, and snack preferences. As Here Then continues to evolve, and the portrait collection grows, I’m inspired by the sight of all of us in the light of our earliest, most impressionable, least prejudiced selves. I’m interested in what happens when we see a whole community through that lens.
What draws you to the medium of photography?
I love that photography can exist somewhere between documentation and interpretation. A photograph can feel incredibly literal—this person was here, this moment happened — but the choices behind every photograph are still subjective. How you frame the shot, how you use the light, if/how you engage with the scene or subject… all of those things shape the way we view photographs.
I’ve also always been drawn to photography because of its relationship with time. Every photograph is immediately a record of the past. With Here Then, I’m playing with that idea pretty literally by bringing a photograph from someone’s past into a current portrait of them.
What do you hope to discover in your process as a Town Hall resident?
I’ve photographed over 65 people so far and, as the project outgrows my immediate network of local friends and family, I’m excited to discover how the project changes when the Here Then portrait collection becomes more representative of the city itself. What patterns and insights might emerge? What kinds of connections happen between people who might otherwise never cross paths? The portraits are part of the project, but the process of meeting people and learning about them is becoming just as important to me. I think the residency is an opportunity to let that process lead me somewhere I can’t completely predict yet.
What kind of art excites you? What kind of art do you wish you could see more of in the world?
This question is challenging because for me, it’s less about the kind of art, and more about the feeling I get (or don’t get) from it. So my answer is broad. I think the world could do with more art that sparks curiosity, empathy, and joy. I can get as excited by playful, whimsical art made purely for amusement as I can by intellectual, conceptual art made to provoke thought, as I can by design-based, problem-solving art, as I can by student doodles in notebook margins. I’m drawn to art that makes me do a double-take, presents something familiar in a new way (or something new in a familiar way), opens my mind, and leaves me with a lingering feeling or question.
What should folks expect to experience at your Scratch Night presentation?
Scratch Night will be an opportunity to step inside the process of Here Then while the project is still actively evolving. Rather than giving a traditional artist talk, I’m planning to create one or two portraits live on stage. I’ll talk through what I’m doing in real time, share some of the ideas and questions behind the project, invite the audience into conversation, and, time permitting, bring an audience member on stage for a live portrait session. Ideally, it will feel a little bit like stepping into my studio—except with significantly more people watching me work, which I’m still mentally preparing for (as someone who lives most comfortably behind a camera).
“Here Then” is a photographic portrait series being conducted at Town Hall Seattle this September through December by artist-in-residence, Jocelyn R.C. This project relies on volunteer participation and is open to anyone in the Seattle area–all are welcome! Sessions are quick–about 15 minutes per person. Participants are asked to: sign up for a session, provide an early childhood photograph, sign a release form, and wear a white shirt to their scheduled session. Jocelyn will be conducting a few portrait sessions at Town Hall [before or after] the [event name] on [event date] – if you’d be interested in participating, please sign up: here-then.com!
See Jocelyn at work! Scratch Night is Friday, October 23, at 7:30PM.
Get tickets at thesea.org/scratch2026
