katie strand

My favorite work in the exhibition is "Remembrance" for it's extraordinary use of color and textured water reflection. The muted color palette and high contrast between the moon and the surroundings creates a stunning work of art. There is a flow through the image, directed by the soft, welcoming reflection of water. I felt very inspired looking at this piece, especially in regard to the composition and imagery. Focusing on natural textures and beauty is not something many photographers excel at, but the simplicity and appreciation Stromee creates is amazing. The aesthetics and continuity throughout the body of work brings to mind a secret garden, waiting to be explored.

I had a lot of fun with this project. It took me back to my childhood and reminded me of how fun it is to enter a world of pretend.

In She, pictured above, four figures are seen sitting in individual frames, wearing the same suit. The only thing that distinguishes each image is the change in pose. Cut off by the frame, the figures heads remain undisclosed, prompting the viewer to imagine who the photographs are of. In portraiture photography, the face is the “window to the soul”. However, with only the images as guides, a viewer might assume that the subject is male from contextual symbolism (suit, pose, etc), however the word above the series of images says “female”. Similarly, the title of the piece is She, implying that there is more to the story than meets the eye. This implication changes the piece into a critical statement on gender and gender stereotypes. Gender binary is non-existent within this piece, as the figures remain in the gray area between male and female. Following Simpson’s signature use of juxtaposing words with photographs, this piece causes the viewer to question their own reality and bias. I really enjoyed learning about this work of art because it addresses a topic very relevant in today’s society. With the current conversations surrounding gender, non-binary, and female empowerment, I found it interesting that such a piece was created 30 years earlier.

For this video, I wanted to address multiple aspects of passage. To me, passage is what happens in every day life. While there can be specific symbols or actions that indicate passage, I consider it to be omnipresent and everlasting. Using moving images, I wanted to show passage in a subtle way. There is no plot to the video, only the flow of water and the movement of foliage swaying in the foreground. The boat is at a pause, awaiting a physical passage of it's own. Passage means something different to everyone, but for my purposes, I depict it as something calm and slow. There is no true end or beginning to the video, indicating that it can go on forever, similar to the passage of life. Life keeps on going regardless of circumstances or person. While boats can be used as a physical symbol of passage, my goal was to invite the viewer to relax and experience the passage of time around them without expecting something to change by the end of it. Passage, by some definitions, indicates a change will occur at the end. However, passage may also indicate a state of being (such as time, or life) that flows around and with the viewer, inviting them to pause and contemplate their place in their own "passage".

For this sequence shot, I wanted to show a change in motion. To do this, I looked to my water faucet to snap these shots. A water faucet is something we use every day, but it receives very little attention for all the work it does. My process mainly involved changing the water pressure and snapping the shot, editing in photoshop, and then flattening into a triptych final image.

Baldessari's work is interesting to me because it pushes the line of what can be considered art and allows the viewer to walk along that boundary with the artist. I particularly find it interesting how he verbally classifies the smallest movement as art, self aware of his process of "making art". His work challenges me because I am not the biggest fan of conceptual art. However, I do respect the vision he is going for.

Out of these three video artists, I really liked Pipilotti Rist and Tony Oursler for their innovation in video content and display. Both of their works are presented using new, technologically advanced methods, adding new meaning to the work. My least favorite video artist would be Martha Rosler. While I love the feminist undertones and understand why her work was revolutionary, I found her work very difficult to watch and hard to engage with.

Nam June Paik is a Korean American Artist that uses an extensive variety of media to construct images reflecting his perception of media and moving images. This can be through live stream or prerecorded video, intermixed with other sculptural elements (neon lights, pianos, etc.). This video installation inspires me because it is a combination of so many elements that come together to tell a story. My favorite moments are when there is an overall moving image filled in with contrasting video. I think the artist was trying to push the boundaries of what video could become, using it as a medium to create new images and mixed meanings. I can see this work being a response to mass media and user consumption, as the images are repetitive and many taken from modern media sources.

For the street view, I created waves along the R, G, and B channels and played with different layering styles. I wanted to keep the image somewhat normal, but give it enough "glitch" to make it obvious that something is wrong with it. I also added noise to certain sections of the image. The intent behind this image shifted from a peaceful night photograph, into a psychedelic, "I need help getting home" image.

For this triptych, I wanted to use the bland, beige aesthetic of my apartment to explore the theme of boredom. In each shot, I am sitting on the couch in an incredibly wrong way, hinting to my boredom. The beige outfit is used to mimic the color scheme of the apartment and acts as a camouflage. My face is omitted from each photo (either through framing or positioning) because it is not relevant to the goal of the image. To create my triptych, I altered the angle of each shot. While the camera stayed in the same physical location, I rotated the lens to imitate a fish-eye effect, incorporating a larger area into the image that could not have been achieved in one shot.

Visual relationships and filling the picture with attention would change my approach to photography because it would challenge me to focus on every part of the image, conscious of my decisions. While the image would look natural, it would be framed in such a manner that appears natural. I agree with this approach because it emphasizes the fact that every part of the image that is being included is important to the narrative being presented.

For this pair of photographs, I wanted to offer a similar composition with two completely different feelings. One is bright and dreamy, while the other is colorless and harsh. My process involved a lot of rearranging and playing with lights in my apartment to get the feel I was going for. For the colorful, dreamy photograph, I wrapped plastic around the outside of my lens to blur out the edges of the photograph and used two primary, opposing lights. For the B&W photo, I only used one light to get the shadows and contrast that I wanted.

For this image montage, I examined the identity of the three graces from Greek mythology. The clock in the background represents their timelessness and immortality. The turn-only sign represents the divergence of roles that the graces could have, such as creativity, beauty, or nature. The pedestrian sign goes along with the turn-only sign in representing the journey a mortal takes to achieve one of these “graces”. The sculpture shows their representation in the past, while the trio of portraits represent a more updated imitation. Gold/yellow were the primary colors chosen for this image, representing compassion, magic, and power. Each image is inherently related to the myth of the three graces, and speaks to the expectation to be attendants for others. Combining these images in an overlaid and repetitive manner blends the various messages together to create a cohesive and startling composition. [All photos are mine, with exception to the sculpture photograph which was not copyrighted][image size is 1000x1500 pixels, 72 ppi]

The elements and principles of composition helped improve my photographs by keeping me aware of what to focus on when taking a photograph. It forced me to think outside the box regarding how to best capture these images. The primary elements and principles I used were texture, lines, and color. Scattered throughout are negative space, rule of thirds, contrast, repetition, and unique point of views.  I used I discovered that lighting plays a huge role in how the photograph turns out. I was focused on showing the UTD campus through a new perspective. 

Their work has a lot of expression within the simplicity of the image. The subject works perfectly with their surroundings, which tend to be high contrast or brightly colored. They also use editing to bring interest into the image, such as altering portions of the skin color to blue or overlaying text onto the image.