Artifacts
The past, made present.
Mark Robert Halper creates photographs that reveal the life within familiar objects and open portals to childhood memories, people we love and miss, and relationships we cherish.
Childhood memory and wonder
As a boy, Mark’s plastic ray gun could turn an afternoon in the backyard into an adventure on a distant planet.
In 2020, he began photographing the small creatures and objects around his home. As the work evolved, making the photographs brought him back to the feeling of being a child at play.
“There is still part of me that's that five year old kid, it’s why I can and love to do this work.”
Refractive Alchemy
Each photograph is created in camera, in a single moment in time.
Mark calls his process Refractive Alchemy. Using light, focus, and optics, he transforms the way an artifact is seen, revealing the life and imagination he finds within it.
The black and white photograph is then toned to introduce color.
Art that keeps your story close
Honor someone you love and miss, revisit the wonder of childhood, or celebrate a relationship.
Mark photographs the artifacts that hold those connections: a father’s glasses, a childhood toy, or a card kept for years. The finished artwork gives that memory a place in your home.
It may be beautiful to anyone who sees it. For you, it holds another layer.
Created for your consideration.
Mark creates your photograph at no cost to you and without any financial obligation to purchase the finished artwork.
He wants you to see the photograph before deciding whether it belongs in your home, allowing the work to speak for itself.
It starts with a conversation
1. Begin with the memory. Talk with Mark about the person, relationship, or childhood experience you would like to reconnect with. Together, you discover the artifact that can become the portal to it.
2. Mark creates your photograph. He works privately in his studio, drawing on your conversation, his experience, and his own imagination.
3. Experience the finished artwork. You and your spouse or partner visit Mark’s Los Angeles studio for a private unveiling. With the artwork in front of you, you decide whether it belongs in your home.