Show Submission - Anderson Gallery -

Submitted on: Tuesday, March 22

Ryan Boatright

Ryan Boatright’s work seems to be focused primarily on displaying the urban environment in a minimalistic style.  What I enjoy most about these images is Ryan’s ability to really limit the information which we are given.  I almost have to question whether or not the shots are of models or of actual sites and places.  I like the idea that I don’t know for sure one way or the other.  I try to have an ambiguity in my images and one thing I have been struggling with is how much or how little to show.  As I attempt to limit my series down to a very particular selection of images, I am starting to think more and more about composition and what will continue to be important as I work on turning the series into a book. My favorite from Ryan's work is probably the series Exurbia, in which Ryan features houses from middle class suburban locations.  “Ryan refers to these structures as being “fortress-like,” and is interested in how the builders construct homes of similar design for “occupants who in turn conform to neighborhood codes and restrictions.”” [2]What engages me is the minimalistic approach which produces very clean, simple, images.  But when you start thinking about the entire series, it seems to have a more depth.  “These straightforward, sparse images of places and things exemplify his straight photographic style. However, as I explored his work further, the Exurbia project began to take its place in a broader investigation of family, memory and the medium of photography.”[1]

Biography:

Ryan Boatright is an American artist based in Paris, France. Although varied, his projects are often crafted from a blend of technical and conceptual processes that evaluate common familial experiences, the environments that shape them, and the pictures that document them. The attraction to family photographs continues to lead him to examine the role of photography in the mainstream and to evaluate the medium’s ability to measure experience. The products of his work are exhibited as traditional photographs, digital prints, videos, and unique art objects.

Ryan received a degree in photography from Indiana University in 2005, and joined the staff of the Image Permanence Institute (IPI) at RIT from 2005-2009, where he performed research on visual methods to identify and characterize historic photographic materials and contemporary digital prints. At IPI he developed the Graphics Atlas, an online resource that brings sophisticated print identification and characteristic exploration tools to archivists, curators, historians, collectors, conservators, educators, and the general public.

Boatright, Ryan . "Ryan Boatright: About." RYAN BOATRIGHT: Contemporary Artist | Photographer. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2011. .

Links:

Artist’s Website: http://www.ryanboatright.com/
http://www.heyhotshot.com/blog/2010/03/31/hhs-contender-ryan-boatright/
http://www.shanelavalette.com/journal/2007/07/16/ryan-boatright-exurbia/

Works Cited:
"Hey, Hot Shot! - HHS! Contender: Ryan Boatright." Hey, Hot Shot! : A Jen Bekman Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2011. .

Lavalette, Shane. "SHANE LAVALETTE / JOURNAL » Ryan Boatright: Exurbia." SHANE LAVALETTE. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2011. .

Images:

All Images © Ryan Boatright

Kathy Rose

Well I finally found my notes on the Kathy Rose lecture so my pervious post has been updated:
http://carlsonsenport.blogspot.com/2011/03/kathy-rose.html

Michael Bodiam

What strikes me the most about Michael Bodiam’s work is his attention to color.  The color in the images seems to be limited to a very small palette and often he utilizes the color red to draw attention in the images.  He also seems to shoot primarily at night to focus on artificial lights and  their relationship to the structures surrounding them.  This relationship of man-made light and structures reminds me a lot of my own series of work.  I want to focus on the relationship of the artificial in the natural world. Also, Bodiam’s light seems to be completely natural.  There is also a  huge sense of human presence, despite that fact that there are no people in his images.  I have talked a lot about wanting there be a presence in my own imagery. I am highly intrigued by Bodiam’s body of work.

Biography -

Michael Bodiam is a graduate in BA (hons) Fine Art Photography from the Arts Institute at Bournemouth. He works on both commissioned and self-commissioned photographic projects. Michael’s personal work has featured in publications such as Dazed & Confused, Marmalade and DayFour. He has exhibited with The Photodebut Group, at The Royal Academy (London), The Royal West of England Academy, HOST Gallery, The AMV Building and the Brick House at The Truman Brewery. In 2009 he achieved two merit awards & one distinction (2nd place overall) for the Fuji-Film Distinctions Awards as well as being long-listed for the last 60 of Hyères 2009. In 2004 he was a finalist in the Next Level Audi Vorsprung durch Technik Photography Competition.

"Hey, Hot Shot! : Michael Bodiam." Jen Bekman Projects: 20x200 | JBG | HHS!. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2011. <http://www.jenbekmanprojects.com/artists/hotshots/michael-bodiam.html>.

Links -
Artist Website - http://www.michaelbodiam.com/
http://www.photodonuts.com/michael-bodiam
http://www.heyhotshot.com/blog/2010/11/01/2010-hot-shot-michael-bodiam/

Images - 

Artist Lecture: Trevor Paglen

I knew I was in for an interesting lecture when one of the first things out of Trevor’s mouth  was, " I am ok with being video taped, but it is not to appear anywhere on the internet."  I had seen from Trevor's website that his work involved secretive government felicities and activities. I would consider Trevor’s work to be about secrets, logistics, and seeing.   The most interesting thing about his talk to me was that he was trained as a geologist.  He talked a lot about how money shapes to earth and that by looking at government documents you can find line items on the budget that clue you in to front companies. Trevor said, “we have to become astronomers.” In talking about black holes, he mentioned “can’t see it but you can indirectly see it by what’s around it.”  He laid this out as the basis for his research.  In regard to logistics he talked about front companies in particular flight companies that had global clearances.  He talked about how by following flight records you can start to pin-point where secret activities take place. It was abundantly clear throughout the lecture that he had done tons and tons of research to figure this all out. I think that my favorite part of the lecture might have been when he talked about the symbology of the military.  He cited many examples of patches of secretive projects and explained some of their meetings.  I think what I enjoyed most out of this lecture was that it wasn’t a straight forward artist lecture. It was almost more of a research presentation with  artwork scatter through out.  Tervor commented that he would rather present fragments that don’t really add up to anything than be like conspiracy theorists who draw conclusions with insufficient information.  I think this really helped me to enjoy his work to a greater degree because I was given the freedom to make my own judgments.

1. What legal issues are involved with photographing government activity?
 
Besides the fact that you are only allowed within a certain distance of the secret facilities, there are no real legal issues.  He said that he didn’t really have any concerns. What he is doing is not illegal.

2. How much time do you spend researching and how much information is available to the public about the locations you have photographed?

It didn’t necessarily seem that there was any information about the particular facilities besides knowing that they were government operations.  I think a big part of the excitement for Trevor is doing the research to find the locations.

Idea Blog - Family

As the semester winds down and I start to thing about the last four years that I have spent at  the Virginia  Commonwealth University I realize how much of impact my parents and family had on me not only coming back to school but for the project itself. It’s definitely fact that family life is important “A family unit is the unit which builds up a person’s personality. How you behave and what you become in life is very much dependent on your family life. Psychologists believe that a child learns the most from his or her family life. The way your family members deal with you has a life long effect on your personality.[2]”  It all started when I took trip out west to meet my sister.  I saw a new part of the country for the first time and realized that I truly did enjoy photographing for the reason that it allows me to present my preserved notions about the world.  Without the suggestion and support of my parents I would have never gone back to school.   In relation to my project my parents have been constantly been interested and provided input into my artist statement and which images the liked.  Many photographers would consider family an influence on there work.  Although it might not always be as clear cut as in Sally Mann’s famous series Immediate Family.  Sally Mann said “There is something about this process, and about the whole 8 by 10 business, that takes it out of the arena of the snapshot, even though, of course, I’m always desperate for that feeling. I wanted those family pictures to look effortless. I wanted them to look like snapshots. [1]”  It’s interesting to me to think about the immediacy  of family the relationship of aesthetic to technique.  It was amazing to me how much tension could also be built just by using technology.  This is one reason that I had to get rid of a technique that calls attention to itself.  I feel that Sally Mann was using a technique to bring something more to work which what I initially set out to do.  Having gotten mixed reviews I am glad I found a method of processing that doesn’t call attention to itself.

"Art21 . Sally Mann . Biography . Documentary Film | PBS." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2011. <http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/mann/>.

"The Importance Of Family Life." Grandmas Profitable Free Business Craft Guides Corner. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2011. <http://www.grandmascraftguides.com/Family_Corner/>.

Idea Blog - Family

As the semester winds down and I start to thing about the last four years that I have spent at  the Virginia  Commonwealth University I realize how much of impact my parents and family had on me not only coming back to school but for the project itself. It’s definitely fact that family life is important “A family unit is the unit which builds up a person’s personality. How you behave and what you become in life is very much dependent on your family life. Psychologists believe that a child learns the most from his or her family life. The way your family members deal with you has a life long effect on your personality.[2]”  It all started when I took trip out west to meet my sister.  I saw a new part of the country for the first time and realized that I truly did enjoy photographing for the reason that it allows me to present my preserved notions about the world.  Without the suggestion and support of my parents I would have never gone back to school.   In relation to my project my parents have been constantly been interested and provided input into my artist statement and which images the liked.  Many photographers would consider family an influence on there work.  Although it might not always be as clear cut as in Sally Mann’s famous series Immediate Family.  Sally Mann said “There is something about this process, and about the whole 8 by 10 business, that takes it out of the arena of the snapshot, even though, of course, I’m always desperate for that feeling. I wanted those family pictures to look effortless. I wanted them to look like snapshots. [1]”  It’s interesting to me to think about the immediacy  of family the relationship of aesthetic to technique.  It was amazing to me how much tension could also be built just by using technology.  This is one reason that I had to get rid of a technique that calls attention to itself.  I feel that Sally Mann was using a technique to bring something more to work which what I initially set out to do.  Having gotten mixed reviews I am glad I found a method of processing that doesn’t call attention to itself.

"Art21 . Sally Mann . Biography . Documentary Film | PBS." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2011. <http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/mann/>.

"The Importance Of Family Life." Grandmas Profitable Free Business Craft Guides Corner. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2011. <http://www.grandmascraftguides.com/Family_Corner/>.