Final Project

We looked out the window to see a planet that looked like Earth, but at the same time it wasn't Earth.  As we approached we were confronted by the ruined splendor, there were few signs of human life.  I have no desponding ideas on entering the field, but I cannot help thinking it almost impossible I should escape either wounds or death. The true immensity of the place became instantly apparent.

Final Project - In Progress Crit

This series explores an alternate realm where human flesh becomes ground and earth.  My body is being discovered as a battleground for toy soldiers.  The series is playful in its visual and simple in the elements.  The peeling or eroding of skin illustrations the damaging effects of man’s impact on the “earth”.  This series is also a play on the idea of "mother earth", where the earth is acknowledged as being female.

Final Project - Proposal

For my final project I would like to create an imagined realm of my own through the inspiration of Matthew Barney's Cremaster Cycle series.  While Barney's work is a series of five films (which I have viewed in their entirety) they are often presented as photographs of film stills.  For my final series I would like to create as many scenarios as possible, I think at least 7 or more.  From these I would like to edit the series down to five scenes.  I will use digital photography with a self timer as I will be in some of the images.  These images will be printed at 11 x 17 to create a greater viewing experience for the audience.  I plan to find willing participants for the images but also have some images that are still lives.  The majority of these scenes will be created within my own apartment for ease of set up and take down.  Other artists who work in a similar manner are Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison and Kahn and Selesnick.  I want the audience to think about how images have an impact on our perception of reality.  The images should cause a sense of confusion and wonderment.  The narrative is that of a journey through this alternate reality.

Project 3 - Final

This series of rotting vegetable still-lives are captured with Edward Weston in mind.  Weston states that his images of vegetables carry no additional meaning but rather are beautiful studies of the forms through his use of light.  In contrast, the rotting images create juxtapositions of the satisfying way light plays with the forms while representing the repulsive, over-consumption of American culture.  The apparently overwhelming desire to have promotes excessive purchasing of more than we need.  Vegetables depict this idea well because of the new forms they take on when they are left unused and inevitably rot.  Capturing these images allows the food to regain purpose after it has long been forgotten in the refrigerator and now await their fate of the garbage.

Assignment #3 - In Progress Crit

This series acknowledges the voyeuristic quality of the camera and the viewer of an image.  The camera becomes an intrusion on private moments when used to commemorate them.  In this series, a private moment between two people is staged for the camera.  However, one of the subjects is staring awkwardly at the camera acknowledging its intrusion on the scene.  This causes a disruption in the normal viewing experience.  A flash is used to light the scene for a direct and harsh lighting source, mimicking the direct quality of the staring individual.  The images are meant to be uncomfortable causing an abrupt confrontation with the audience.  

Assignment 3-Proposal

For this series I will aim for five to seven images for a final product.  I feel that it will benefit me to at least photograph 10 to 15 scenarios to know what is working and what I can rule out.  These images will be taken digitally for ease of using a self timer and sense of immediacy.  The final images will be printed around 7 x 10.  This way the images won't be overpowering but rather provide an intimate experience for the audience to view them at a closer proximity.  These images will portray myself within my "natural" environments (i.e. home, work, school, etc...) as I begin to blur the boundaries between environment and identity.  The series works in part as a commentary on "you are what you own".  The voyeuristic quality of the viewer is also played with by denying them to see the figure in their entirety.  This work is influenced by Hans-Peter Feldmann who works with a the idea of being voyeur to an environment captured by the camera.  These images will be handled with care and eliminate any unnecessary information.  However, they will take on a humorous quality through a deadpan aesthetic and the inevitability of these images resulting in failure.