The Practice
EZRA begins with attention.
Dager photographs what catches his eye. Objects are kept without always knowing why. Things are written down when they become clear. Songs are played over and over. Places that stay with him are returned to.
Most of these things are ordinary.
They are not collected because they already have meaning.
Attention comes first.
Some things return again and again.
A photograph taken years earlier may suddenly matter. An object kept without knowing why may connect to something happening now. A familiar place may feel different after returning to it.
Sometimes two things separated by years suddenly belong together.
Time can reveal relationships that weren’t visible before.
When something continues to hold attention, the practice stays with it.
A photograph may become a series.
An object may become part of a work.
Something broken may be repaired.
Something ordinary may become important.
Sometimes nothing happens for months.
Sometimes the connection appears all at once.
There is no single medium or form.
EZRA continues as new things are noticed, kept, revisited, and understood differently over time.
The work does not begin with an answer.
It begins by paying attention.