Cornelia Magazine

Remembering Jonathan Casey / May 22, 2020

Like so many in these unsettling times, I’ve been thinking a lot about what’s left behind when we die.
 
My work as an artist and photographer often incorporates found objects that create real, material bridges to other people’s private lives: old discarded photographs, military service items, rusty things from another time. Now, with so much of our lives lived digitally, what we leave behind is more immaterial yet frequently much more public, hidden in plain sight in browsing histories and on social media platforms. But what about all those text messages? Those casual, daily exchanges sent to the pockets of friends and family. Do they last longer than the phones that currently store them? Are they worth saving like the handwritten correspondence of the past? Do we leave something of ourselves in them?
 
I’ve been reflecting on these questions the past few weeks as I revisit text messages between myself and the artist and designer Jonathan Casey. Jonathan passed away on April 1, 2020—a cruel joke—and I’m very much still processing the weight of this loss and struggling to believe it. Jonathan touched many lives and is beloved by many. There have been a number of articles and tributes written about Jonathan, and I am linking to those so that you can read more about his life and his personal and professional accomplishments.

To continue reading… Link to Cornelia Magazine

Thank you: Nando Alvarez-Perez, Emily Ebba Reynolds and Emily Mangione.