2.03.2010

Idea Blog: A Bridge and a road

The two things that I feel I need to focus on to constantly improve and push my work this semester right now are bridges and roads. Firstly, it is important to understand the function of each thing first in the real world. Bridges are structures that provide a passage over a chasm or object of impassibleness. For me, this takes on a meaning far past just the physicality of a bridge in real life. To me I focus on thoughts of a connector or a way to pass between my two identities inside of me peacefully without struggle and conflict. I feel that the whole reason why I create work that focuses on my identity is because there is no there between the two sides of my life, and will always feel separated and singled out unless I portray the emotional stress and struggles of dealing with this obstruction. In my imagery, I feel that a bridge would depict beautifully my connection between the physical imagery depicted in the photograph to represent the intangible meaning behind my photographs.

Another word that is related, but can mean or depict various other things, is the use of roads. Roads are simply defined as a stretch of land that has been set separately for travel, normally between two different points. This relates to my work as well, because I feel that the road between my two identities has not yet been discovered, and that I am searching for it through my imagery. The road needs to be built, but it cannot be built without understanding if both sides. Travel is also a clear signal from roads, and because I traveled, creating this alternate identity, I feel that travel and exploration have huge issues and points that relate to this. My challenge is now, how to depict the use of roads and bridges together, without overpowering the imagery, and how do I keep the images unique? These are my challenges with thinking about these issues specifically, and the above photograph is something I took before really diving deep into this work, and will hopefully be a rough draft compared to what I will make out with in the end.

2.01.2010

Daniel Lobdell - Artist Blog


Spanning Structures 04-P10, 2004 , Spanning Structures 08-SP08, 2008

Daniel Lobdell is an artist I recently have come in contact with, due to my changing imagery as I progress with my work. He is an American photographer, born in 1969, and graduated with a Master in Fine Art in Photography from Tyler School of Art at Temple University. Recently, his work has been viewed and put up for show all over Philadelphia, where he currently resides. The reason I am focusing on Daniel Lobdell is because of some of his photography that directly relates to the issues I am dealing with in my own pieces. The two above pieces, deal with a few techniques that I need to address in my own work, one being the choice of color. Previously, my work focused on having a tint of Kenya towards the photographs, something that reminded me of pigments and hues that I would designate as representative hues for Kenya. The trouble I had dealing with this style was the small differentiations in tints and shading, struggling to get a uniform gradation. I have taken a few photographs in black and white, and I still am not sure how they change the imagery of my own and I plan to continue to search for a solution. In relation to these images, I feel that color might have changed the meaning and feel of the pieces, and I enjoy the choice of absence. Especially in the top one, there are hues there that hint to pigments I remember from Kenya, and I want to try a mix between black and white, and color.
Another issue his photography confronts is the bridge itself. Bridges started interesting me after I photographed myself crossing a bridge. Being that a bridge relates to a connection between two different ideas, I started thinking of my own search for the connection, the bridge, between my two identities. In Daniel Lobdell's imagery, the bridges are not photographed from on or next to the bridge, in fact they are from below, and that intrigued me, and got me to think about the use of bridges in my own photography. Did I have to be standing or crossing on the bridge for the concept to make sense, or could I use the twisty and winding undersides of bridges to show my confusion and situation with my identity struggle. I am continually thinking and pondering about these images, hopefully getting an answer or clue that will further push my idea.