Gilly Humphrey

Remnants of A Life Sometime in the late 1970s a property in the woods of Wisconsin sitting on the edge of the Milwaukee river was purchased by a newlywed couple. The wife’s love for nature drew the two to the property and inspired them to build a home. She wanted to be able to watch birds in the morning while she sipped her coffee. The couple never had children but remained happily married until the husband’s death in the 1990’s. Following the loss of her beloved husband, the wife slowly became a recluse and eventually an agoraphobe refusing to ever leave her home. Although the widow suffered from hoarding tendencies, she liked to keep her things very organized in some areas of her home. Sometime in the fall of 2019 she passed away inside the residence. With no relatives left to claim the house a nearby neighbor purchased her property. He cut down her woods and removed the plumbing in the house while her belongings still remained inside. With future plans to tear the house down, soon there will be no trace of the couple’s past. The following virtual installation is an attempt to document what remains from the late widow’s life and to create a new form of portrait photography.