"Something is Happening" - The Exhibition

     Preparing for the gallery exhibition was a fun experience that nicely seemed to book-end the process of creating these photographs. A couple of weeks ago when these pictures were just pieces of digital memory locked in cameras, they didn't seem like part of a social medium. However, this gallery opening took many people to put together and during that process, the social nature of photography came into view. I thought it was an interesting contrast to the constant use of online forums to display work to use the exhibition as our space to show others what we have worked on. From printing the photos, to framing them and hanging them on the wall, the experience as a whole was a great one. 

POST 9/11

     While keeping in mind the significance of silence I decided to create a soundscape that evoked the mood that I felt during 9/11. Although I was a very young child on that day, I, like everyone else, was affected by it and continue to be. In McLuhans words he explains that "Music shall fill the air" and on that day, what many people along with myself felt in the air was danger. There was a sense of the unknown, a fear of not knowing what was coming next. This soundscape is a representation of those uncertainties.

"The Lawrence Difference" - Photo Book

    In designing the layout for the photo book of "The Lawrence Difference" I decided to go with an intuitive approach. When taking the photos of the set I was very meticulous of the composition and coordination of every individual shot and so thought that it would be best to just let the shots come together on there own with no particular path set to guide them. Each photo was created to fit in with the overarching theme of diversity at Lawrence University while still using Robert Frank's style of taking the everyday mundane and using it to create a social commentary.

The Lawrence Difference - Photo Book Layout

"REVOLT: Challenge the System "

      Marshall McLuhan in, "The Medium is the Massage" states that "Our official culture is striving to force the new media to do the work of the old." I think that this plays out in the printing of digital photos and the creation of this photo book. We are taking what would have other wise been a modern digital creation and creating a book of art which in itself is something usually seen in the past. My process in designing the book consisted of importing all my photos into snapfish and laying out the pictures that just felt to naturally come together. I chose not include any text or captions for the pictures because I believe that they speak for themselves. I decided to include a description in the back of the book of the overall theme in hopes of guiding individuals through the thought process I involved myself in while creating the images. 
       In the sense that I am trying to portray it as, "diversity' can take on many different meanings. To one person my photographs can be about race, to another gender, and to another even randomness might come through. It is this fluidity of meaning that I was reaching for in this project. I want any Lawrence student or faculty member to see these photographs and ultimately see a part of themselves in the work.