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Open Access Thesis

Keywords

Academic theses; Thèses et écrits académiques;

Abstract

SILENCE AND VIOLENCE began as a series of black and white photographs that attempts to depict strong feelings and emotions through the use of lighting, gesture and expression. This is accomplished in three stages: (1) Making the negatives; (2) Making the print; (3) Finishing the print using various processes (bleaching, toning, etc.). My approach combines the use of photographic materials and spontaneous decision making in all three steps to produce prints that are unique. The image making process begins with the production of the negatives. For this series, I wanted a rather spontaneous approach, closer to the working methods I used in painting. Because I use a camera that allows one piece of film to be exposed at a time, the exposure is made and the film is processed immediately. This enables me to view the negative within a few minutes thus accelerating the editing process. Changes can be considered and a new negative taken as quickly as I can place another sheet of film in the camera. As the negative is the foundation of the print, the editing process continues until the desired arrangement of the figures is achieved. The film and lighting used to make the negatives is important to the way the figures appear in the final print. As the film I use is slow to react to light and as the light is of a relatively low intensity, the film will not record a rapidly moving subject. The exposure times are long, one to three minutes in duration. During this time I move about freely in front of the camera, stopping only when I wish to pose. The longer a pose is maintained the more solid the figure will appear. Those figures that are posed for lesser time or are captured during slow movement will be transparent. Because this is one long exposure rather than several shorter ones, transient moments are documented in ambiguous fragments. By using myself as the model, I feel a closer connection to my own emotional impulses and the act of making the image. I do not feel that I could direct someone else to do this as quickly or as openly. This means that I am shooting blind. I am unable to see the poses from the camera side. I find that this adds random surprises to the work which contribute to keeping the work fresh. The lighting goes beyond working as an agent of film and exposure, and adds a certain flavor to the images. Most of the lighting for this series involved the use of a single light source placed high and to one side of the figures. This lighting casts deep shadows on one side of the figures and gives a spot light effect on the other side. I find it similar to the lighting used during the Baroque period which gives the images a sense of drama. I also believe it suits the somewhat ambiguous and staged look of the images. After the negatives have been made the printing process begins. This is accomplished in two stages. First a contact print is made which gives me an idea of the information available in the negative. Second, an enlargement is made using conventional methods of photographic process onto a large sheet of photographic paper. This part of the process is the slowest and most frustrating. The paper is approximately thirty by forty inches and it may take two or three enlargements to get one print that I feel is satisfactory. Once the images are enlarged the finishing process takes place. This involves the selective bleaching, sepia toning and partial redeveloping of the image to bring attention to those areas I consider important. These ·changes are not on the surface of the image but are chemically bonded to the print. Since the chemicals are applied with a brush, it would be impossible to make two prints alike even though they are made from the same negative. This takes some of the normally replicative qualities out of photography by adding an individualized aspect associated with painting. The images are about the extremes of emotional experiences and the attempt to mediate them. They display moments of silent contemplation or spirituality to moments of severe agitation. Though some of the figures seem to cry out or scream, it is a scream that is never heard externally but, is felt internally. The struggle these images represent is for some spiritual high ground. The figures seem caught between stable and unstable forces. The mood suggests all of our decisions are not our own but controlled by other external forces. These are pictures of the internal world of fear and doubt. I have eliminated all sense of time and place from the images by the lack of props, an ambiguous background and the nude figure. This asks the viewer to concentrate on the gestures and expressions of the figures, and the release of emotion. This catharsis is central to the motivation of the images. The nudity becomes a symbol of our vulnerability when exposing our feelings to the outside world. The title SILENCE AND VIOLENCE was conceived after viewing the series as a whole. I feel more comfortable attaching titles to the finished image rather than attaching an image to a preconceived title or idea. The title of the series and the individual images should be used only as a reference and not an absolute description. Responding to the external world emotionally is something that is universal to all of us. We all respond to different situations that confront us in our own individualized way; therefore, the works will be interpreted by each in their own way. I believe this is to be expected and encouraged. It is ironic to note that universal conditions allow for subjective interpretations.

Year of Submission

1987

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Department of Art

First Advisor

Richard Colburn

Second Advisor

Charles M. Adelman

Third Advisor

William W. Lew

Comments

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Date Original

1987

Object Description

1 PDF file (10 leaves)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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