Field Notes 03 - The Work of Sorting

Sorting is often seen as a mechanical task.

In practice, it is where the archive begins to take form.

At first, there is volume.

Stacks of photographs. Albums of varying sizes. Images without a clear order.

The instinct is often to organize quickly... to impose structure.

But careful sorting is slower.

It involves looking, pausing, and allowing relationships to emerge:

A recurring location.

A familiar face across different years.

Events that begin to group themselves naturally.

Over time, what seemed like a large unstructured collection becomes a series of distinct moments.

Sorting is not only about order, but it is also about recognition.

Recognizing what belongs together.

Recognizing what holds significance.

Recognizing what forms the narrative of a life.