Artifacts: Photographer Adrienne Grunwald

Artifacts is a series about physical items that have meaning to photographers in the field. The items are styled, shot, and described by the photographers themselves. It is curated by Jody Sugrue and Kate LaRue.

For several months in 2010 through 2013, Adrienne Grunwald lived with and documented the lives of professional female futebol (soccer) players in Brazil for her series “Guerreiras.” Since then, she has been based in New York, working on personal projects and local assignments. She recently became a member of the photography collective MJR.

Adrienne’s Artifacts

“When I left for Brazil in 2010, I packed up my studio apartment and put all of the seemingly unnecessary possessions from my previous life in boxes. Four years later, I have yet to open most those boxes and am not sure that I ever will. This collection of artifacts are some of the things that I have kept close. In a way, what I have collected are small clues to my history, a narrative towards the future I intend to live and some reminders of the lessons that I have learned along the way.”

1. Hasselblad 500C: A beautiful camera, gaffered up and all – this camera traveled with me all over Brazil to create my “Guerreiras” work.

2. Driftwood: Snagged this piece of driftwood off of Goat Rock beach in Northern California as a memento after running naked into the Pacific Ocean on my 30th birthday.

3. Global Entry ID card: My newest and most prized travel possession—I like the fast lane.

4. Tea Tree Chewing Sticks: I don’t chew gum, so these are my alternative. Anyone who knows me, knows.

5. Field notebook: Open to a “film log” I kept while shooting in Brazil.

6. Lucas’ Papaw Ointment: My all-healing Australian elixir.

7. Love Tarot Card: I carry this card in my wallet as a reminder to love all.

8. Gaffer’s tape: My end-all, be-all life hack.

9. Domke Film X-Ray Bag: This is my last resort to protect film when traveling at airports that refuse to handcheck film.

10. Yashica T4:  My point and shoot delight.

11. Moleskine Notebook: All my ideas/inspiration/love on hand.

12. US forever postcard stamps:  I carry these stamps in my wallet so I can send a postcard from wherever I travel in the States without having to find a post office.

13. Leica M2: One of my most treasured cameras that I bought on the cheap and thankfully survived a mugging in NYC.

14. Dual SIM cellphone : Love my dual sim which very much comes in handy when traveling throughout Brazil.

15. Official futebol field measurements: Found this beautiful poster in the back of a referees handbook in a bookshop in Brazil.

16. Sekonic L-308S : My handy light meter, always around my neck when I’m working.

17. Photograph of my grandfather : Found this beautifully aged photograph of my grandfather Ernest in a box of his things. He’s turning 100 years old this March and I treasure having him in my life.

18. Collage book: I bring my collage books with me on long-term trips so I can have an alternative creative outlet at night. Sometimes I need to get away from it all.

19. Pile of postcards – I will forever collect and send cryptic postcards to my friends around the world.