Calvin exhibit reflection

Personal

I felt like the images were very well crafted, the photographer had a good sense of artistry and crafted the photos very nicely. The overall feeling didn’t settle great with me however, but that is mostly due to the subject matter. There was a slight eerie or sad feeling overall, which I did not like. Some people’s faces were covered – it was seeming to delve into ideas of struggling and such. The overall concept of the variation between images was interesting as well. I liked the sense of intrigue that was there, but do not have a clear sense of what Amanda Carmer, the photographer, was exactly trying to portray.

Technical

The exhibit was photography shown in a gallery. It was arranged intentionally. The images were taken with a consistent light – there was not color but just a two-tone image. The subject matter was of people – of people who seem to be struggling in some way. One image showed someone with their head between their knees. There was also scabs on the knees. In some of the pictures you were not able to see the person’s eyes, which added an interesting effect.

Intermixed with these pictures of people were also images of vegetables with an orange background. They were onions or something, they almost looked like mushrooms. They are very hard to see clearly or completely understand what is going on – the pictures are not crisp or obvious. They are sliced or cut in weird ways or repeated. A lot of them were not that interesting in and of themselves but they added to the overall composition (that’s a personal observation).

It is interesting to consider why the background color of the vegetables was chosen to be orange. Orange usually seems like a bright and happy color, while much of the rest about the images seems more sad. I think this contrast makes the exhibit much more visually pleasing and intriguing, however.

Ethical

I feel like the subject matter and how the images were captured do not have a lot of ethical considerations that would be very controversial. However, the subject matter itself does border on some ethical thoughts. It makes someone wonder what should be done, how to interact with this woman who seems to be struggling a lot. It seems to explore some ideas of society. It is also interesting that the images are mixed in with vegetables – some people could probably discuss that a lot.

Cultural

Culturally, the images are quite pleasing. The images are blurry or show only a piece of the puzzle. The color is very subdued, making it seem really sad. The vegetables mixed in with the other images would be startling to some degree as well – people might not know exactly how to interpret this. I think a lot of people would be able to relate in some way to the images shown, because most of us have probably seen some of the subject matter to some degree. Also, the vegetables being hard to see or understand can add to the feeling of confusion.

The scabbed knees can be an indexical symbol of the pain and struggle the images are conveying, culturally. The images of onions seem fragmented and sliced as well, making them indexical symbols of these similar themes as well. The holding hands show a tenderness as well in the midst of the confusion, which draws people to the images and makes them more desirable and relatable.

Historical

I think it is interesting to consider this exhibit considering how society is today. Relationships and families are struggling quite a bit. I think there is an isolation and aloneness that these images seem to portray as well, which is interesting because in this day and age people talk about how they feel alone quite a bit. Even though we are more “technologically connected” than ever before, people are emotionally and relationally actually feeling more distant, disconnected and alone than ever before. I think the images in this exhibit are trying to show some of those thoughts.

Critical

I think that overall, this exhibit is fairly effective. I think that the compositions of the images and parts of the overall feel were executed very well. However, a little bit of the meaning was lost for me especially in how to relate the two themes in the subject matter to each other. I was not positive how to relate the vegetables to the people, but maybe that is part of the point – that some things are confusing. However, I am not sure that people viewing this exhibit would get that impression from the images. I personally do not enjoy looking at art that seems sad, but I think that parts of the photography and exhibit was executed extremely well.