Monday, May 7, 2012
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
The Calm Before the Storm
I was lucky enough to be able to view the exhibition The Calm Before the Storm at the Light Factory in downtown Charlotte, which featured photographers Camille Seaman, Kathleen Robbins, Eric Tomberlin, and Pip Nguyen-Duy. Because I am a young photographer, exposing myself to as many different photographers as possible is very helpful in finding new inspirations, as well as seeing how other photographers work. Though I may not always find a piece interesting, I feel it's very important to open myself up to different styles as opposed to limiting myself to one specific one. One photographer's work that stood out to me was Eric Tomberlin's series titled Massification and the Sublime. Two pieces in the series that particularly caught my attention were Spillway (2009) and Overpass (2009).
Spillway is very simplistic in nature as it is an image of a chain being connected to two platforms near a body of water. Overpass continues this simplicity by being an enlarged view of water, cement, and steel. While they are by no means the most complicated subjects, I find their simplicity very captivating.
Though the images are very simple in nature, I believe them to be successful (as well as the series as a unified whole) in carrying out Tomberlin's curiosity of "how our creativity, technology, and our fear of the unknown are tied into our sense of hope, suffering and denial." His images also help to show the impact people have had on nature, and to let our imaginations wonder how nature will be affected in the future based off the decisions people have made. For example, one of his other photos that stood out to me was Dairy Farm. This image consists of several rubber tires being laid out uniformly across a huge amount of land. This illustrates that the tires clearly have a reason for being there, while making one wonder if the tires will eventually bring harm to the land.
I believe this series as a whole was successful in carrying out Tomberlin's goal. Though some of the works are very simple (such as the before mentioned Spillway and Overpass), I find that simplicity can be just as powerful as a complicated subject that may overwhelm a view. Having images that feature such simple subjects allows me to wonder and contemplate more about them, which draws me even further into the photo.
Spillway is very simplistic in nature as it is an image of a chain being connected to two platforms near a body of water. Overpass continues this simplicity by being an enlarged view of water, cement, and steel. While they are by no means the most complicated subjects, I find their simplicity very captivating.
Though the images are very simple in nature, I believe them to be successful (as well as the series as a unified whole) in carrying out Tomberlin's curiosity of "how our creativity, technology, and our fear of the unknown are tied into our sense of hope, suffering and denial." His images also help to show the impact people have had on nature, and to let our imaginations wonder how nature will be affected in the future based off the decisions people have made. For example, one of his other photos that stood out to me was Dairy Farm. This image consists of several rubber tires being laid out uniformly across a huge amount of land. This illustrates that the tires clearly have a reason for being there, while making one wonder if the tires will eventually bring harm to the land.
I believe this series as a whole was successful in carrying out Tomberlin's goal. Though some of the works are very simple (such as the before mentioned Spillway and Overpass), I find that simplicity can be just as powerful as a complicated subject that may overwhelm a view. Having images that feature such simple subjects allows me to wonder and contemplate more about them, which draws me even further into the photo.
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