Keywords

Photography, one point perspective, analog, architectural, todd hido, flâneur, charles baudelaire, guy debord, longing, loss, belonging, identity, lucy lippard

Abstract

The research done for this investigation deals with both the motivation of the artist, the personal history and the individual's artistic process. This process is examined through two bodies of art work dealing with the home as a metaphor. The shared themes of belonging, loss and longing are further reinforced by "visual cues" represented in the photographic works. For the Home Divided series, I approached the style of the photographs and the subject matter through indexical photographs of multi-unit homes and the visual representation of a distinct and bilateral division of the structure. The imagery presented in this series deals directly with the historical use of landscape in photography and the house or home as the subject. This series is motivated by my personal experience with a fractured family unit and experience with the fractured notion of the home. The second part of this study examines and records the artist's exploration of space and surroundings in the series, Chez Moi. The images document occupied structures at night with a visual focus being on a light source within the structure. There are shared elements that exist between both bodies of work that elicit feelings of searching and belonging. The separation from the viewer and the subject is further reinforced by the layer created that separates the photographer from the subject through the lens of the camera. The concept of the flâneur, introduced by Charles Baudelaire is an integral part of the artist's process, finding a sense of place and belonging in a foreign environment. The written portion of this investigation gathers materials and information that deals with the conception of the family unit and the house that is literally, and metaphorically, utilized in the notion of home. This focus on the structure as a metaphor for home has further reaching v implications than the structure itself. Findings show that a Western view of community and belonging is rooted in a place of stability in one's community. The basis for personal growth within that community has a direct impact on an individual's development in it. (Goldburgh, 67) The fractured nature of my experience and emotions tied with the notions of home, are expressed through both A Home Divided and the Chez Moi series photographic series. Within this investigation there are references to the artist's memories and experiences that are in contrast and discord with the traditional concept of acceptance and belonging.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2013

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Isenhour, David

Degree

Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.)

College

College of Arts and Humanities

Department

Visual Arts and Design

Degree Program

Emerging Media; Studio Art and the Computer

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0004678

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0004678

Language

English

Release Date

May 2013

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Open Access)

Subjects

Arts and Humanities -- Dissertations, Academic, Dissertations, Academic -- Arts and Humanities

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Photography Commons

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