Artist Statement

For many people, the choice to get a tattoo is an important one. This decision is generally followed by carefully considered rationale, followed of course by the pain endured to obtain these permanent marks. There are, however, societal stigmas associated with tattoos and those who have them. While this has shifted somewhat in recent years, certain presumptions persist. My work seeks to redirect attention from common, reactionary responses to a more reflective consideration of those adorned with tattoos. Rather than suggesting tattoos define an individual, my photographs demonstrate how tattoos serve as a supplement to whom that person already is.

            Presented as diptychs, each photographic pairing contains a large-scale, black and white portrait of a single subject accomplished by a smaller scale color image of their tattoo. The larger size gray scale image draws out a raw realness in each person, while the depiction of the tattoo suggests an addition of vibrancy. Comparisons are inevitable drawn between the two, leading one to consider what the portrait represents in relation to the permanence of the tattoo. While the ink of a tattoo is permanent, the meaning of that tattoo is not a permanent reflection of who a person is.

Feedly #13

I chose this blog entry, A Tender Portrait of the Third Sex in Bangladesh, because this is something that I have been studying a lot recently and I enjoy learning about and I also think that it is a very important topic that is not talked about nearly enough. I know that the gender binary and transsexuality is something that exists worldwide but it is not a topic that I have studied beyond domestically. I like that this was something that I could compare to what I already know about the topic to what is happening is Bangladesh and how this impacts their lives.

The photographer Raffaele Petralla went with a completely different direction of his work but his movement made him change that. After gaining the trust of the individuals he photographed, this allowed for him to be able to capture moments that can accurately represent what their lives are like. It stated that many people who identify as homosexual, transsexual and a transvestite often live together because they act as their own family since they are considered outcasts among the "norm" and I think that many of the photographs represents that notion of family. I also think more importantly that this work of Petralla clearly shows the distance these individuals live with and how they are outcasts from the general population in Mirpur-Ek, Bangladesh.

http://feedly.com/i/entry/LRio6qZGEtpfcq8H8SmqgQJ0Pk60HGBbRjXzD2SbIYk=_1587332c9c5:bfadc:641ff4cc

Emerling Chapter #5

In this Emerling chapter, time is discussed in a way that explain and express how time is a construct that contributes to the way that photography is perceived and even created. Time being something that I have previously had talked about in a way of how it is an influence to art, this was an explanation that furthered that much more. I actually enjoyed this section more than the previous because of the way Emerling chose to use the text in a way that made me think differently about a part of the process that is involved in photography. Most of what was being said I agree with but it was written in a way that better put into words a definition of what photography has the potential to do way above how I would be able to articulate all that it could do. Essentially I got from this section that photography is more than just a photo but much more, which I think many would agree with but this furthered that by explaining how it is not a visual but an experience, a sensation, the influence it has on memory, the language it creates, which connects to the universal language we previously discussed, and "how a photograph is always simultaneously here and there, now and then... and gives us an experience of dislocation in space and time; a temporal sensation traverses space."

Question: In relation to when Emerling states photographs can be narratives but some argue that they can't be taken as narratives themselves and 'aspect' allows for an approach to photography that admits the complexity of the relation between an image and time, a relation that is traveled by memory, new uses and narration, how does a photograph act as a narrative or does it not act as a narrative?

Feedly #12

For this blog entry I chose to focus on the work Anxiety Made Visible in Photos. I chose this because it is something that I can completely understand and can relate to so when I look at the photos I can understand what they mean and the impact that they potentially have for viewers. I think that one of the first things said "just because it's not seen, doesn't mean it's not there" is an extremely important point to make when talking about metal illness to any extent and I think that the way the photos that are displayed can express this a lot.

I really enjoy how the photos have this simplicity about them and they are not to much. I think that if there was a lot happening in them it would be distracting and I think that the fact that there is this simplicity to them it works for such a complicated subject matter. I think that probably my favorite part is that each photo has a caption underneath that just fits perfectly and how that makes a statement to the viewer by saying this is what I want to be known about this photo, this is what it's like and how it feels. I think that a picture is more than capable to capture such a meaning like that but when you add words it makes a pointed statement with an accuracy that no one can deny which I feel is extremely important for this because what I felt from viewing this was that there was a want for there to be a better and wider understanding of metal illnesses like depression and anxiety, especially because they are so much more common than many realize.

http://feedly.com/i/entry/LRio6qZGEtpfcq8H8SmqgQJ0Pk60HGBbRjXzD2SbIYk=_158638b8583:443e5f:bdd46999

Emerling Chapter #4

In the chapter The Archive as  Producer introduced the idea of the photographic archive. With varied opinions and definitions of what the archive consists of includes that of socio-political, ethical, propagandistic and aesthetic values. Beginning with the example of Muybridge's representation of photographing movement introduces a new transformation of photography. Sekula holds a strong opinion on what he believes the archive to be. He refuses to view the archive as an art historical sense but a materialist cultural history while insisting that the archive is organized and controlled by bureaucratic means. Steichen on the other hand views the archive as not historically based but a stand on a contrived understanding of history. Using the example of The Family of Man, Steichen ultimately fails with his view of the archive because he stripped the photos he used of their authorship and independency to attempt to "contract a fictional, ideological utopian statement about the so-called "family of man, which goes against the concept of the "naked image". I think that the example of the  Crystal Palace is a much better representation of the archive. This reflects what is considered to be the "archive" without breaking what has grown in photography. The work of Dijkstra and Opie led the archive in a direction of cultural discourse and a documentation of culture.
I think that the definition of what the archive is can be flexible because I understand there to be multiple works of art that differ from one another that all can be a part of a photographic archive.

I found the views of Barthes in the discussion of the archive to be a interesting and different view, so I would want to know if there is an agreement or disagreement with Barthes and that we must interpret and read images to understand how the could be used to make the cultural, historical or political appear as if it were natural.

Feedly #11

I chose this entry because I think that it is a very relevant topic that a lot of people can relate to or have dealt at some point in their past. I also think that this is extremely relevant right not in politics and society and that it should be talked about. The way Ali uses her work to attack this issue can be described as less than typical but the impact still stands. With herself included Ali wants to show, through fashion, how an individual can find themselves and fully express their personality however they may want to.

I think that fashion may not be the first thing that people may think of as a way to find and establish your identity but it is actually something done today in many cultures and in the past as well. Being able to chose a fashion sense or style allows for people to be who they want without having to be so extraverted if they do not wish to. Clothing and accessories is a way for people to understand who they want to be with endless possibilities. I think that it is a great way for Ali to show this and it is in such a way that just about everyone can relate to. Everyone has a fashion of their own, no matter what that may be.

http://feedly.com/i/entry/2KA5kNF6Lw/3e9wK0XufshQO4l9u8ZS5bHJ528Zz+9E=_15834783768:7483fa2:297c8405