ICP Teen Academy

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Parker Thomas-Hamlin



My family history is lost in a box, symbolic in both its absence and size. In these images, I explore how this loss of archives has impacted how my family lives and documents our lives. We save receipts, postcards, hair, teeth, tree branches, rocks; subconsciously cataloging our existence, and— possibly— overcompensating for past erasure by displacement and genocide. I combine earlier archives and modern ones to create a bridge between these times, filling the gaps of uncertainty caused by irretrievable history. This was not difficult to do, I learned that there are many parallels between then and now. Family history does not define an individual, however, blood and the body hold memories that impact the current. This work lives as a reminder of the importance of history and archives; they continue to impact the world individually and collectively, through education, inspiration, and motivation. 
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Parker Thomas-Hamlin is a multi-disciplinary artist raised in Dyckman, New York. With roots in dance, illustration, writing, and graphic design, they started to pivot to photography after taking Black and White Photography for Social Change at the International Center of Photography. Parker focuses on the intersection of history and photography, using art to explore and reflect events in society. Parker is currently a senior at the High School of Fashion Industries and Imagemaker at the International Center of Photography. They will continue to study this intersection at Bard College in fall 2025.