House of Pasta 

Instagrams by Derek Roden

Curated by Michael J. Bowen for StandPipe Projects

Bar Towels (2012)

Beef and Sprouts (2012)

Beer Mugs (2012)

Derek Roden lives and works in south central Pennsylvania. While moonlighting as a bartender at a local tavern called House of Pasta, he began shooting quick, improvisational Instagrams of little noticed details from around the restaurant…. the bituminous glow of a gas burner, a dusty vent, the curious thatch formed by a pile of used lemon wedges and straws. Using iPhone 4 as a medium for the first time, Roden’s work sketches out a strange yet familiar landscape, a realm that is at once abstract and representational, which documents the inner workings of a real, lived space yet also contemplates the secret inner life of places and things. 

Blood and Olive Oil (2012)

Bottle Brushes (2012)

Burner (2012)

Calcified Pot (2012)

Cigarette Butts (2012)

“The iPhone 4 is a cheap and stable little camera that really facilitated my ability to shoot spontaneously. Most of the pictures were taken on the run while I was working, and I really didn’t have any time to light things or arrange them.”

Dirty Dish (2012)

Drain Stoppers (2012)

Dusty Grate (2012)

Floor Shadow (2012)

Fryolator Grease (2012)

“Even though I’d worked at House of Pasta for several years, I was constantly noticing things I’d never noticed before… new details, new lines and shadows.”

Garbage (2012)

Gas Flame (2012)

Greasy Grill (2012)

Kitchen Door (2012)

Light Switch (2012)

“I’ve always been primarily attracted to shooting objects. I love the texture of things and I love to get in really close and really see them in a new way.”

Meat Slicer (2012)

Mop Head (2012)

Outlet (2012)

Pot Bottom (2012)

Radiator (2012)

“I approach framing very simply: I just look at a thing until I realize I’m seeing it in a new way, then I shoot it. I don’t have any preconceived notion about what my pictures are saying: I just let them talk to me, show me what they’re all about.” 

Sink (2012)

Soapy Water (2012)

Straws and Lemons (2012)

Vents (2012)

Derek Roden lives and works in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. For more information about his work, contact Michael Bowen at standpipeprojects@gmail.com