Sentimental Objects
The best way to describe the inspiration for this project is through a series of questions I have been pondering. I began by contemplating what exactly it is that we can capture in a portrait. My first question was, “Can we create a portrait, or at least a mental image of a person, without actually photographing a person?” By this I mean, can we, as photographers, cause our viewers to visualize the physical appearance and personality of a human being by creating images of an object or group of objects? Is the surface form, shape, and texture of the subject all we can see and gain from an image? If so, would an object be better at describing our personalities than our own physical form and appearance?
With this project, I am interested in the assumptions we make of other people when they are placed in a certain context. For example, what connections will we make when an individual is placed next to a pair of shoes or a watch? Will we assume that the model next to a pair of running shoes has some affinity for running? Or will we think of each model and object as completely unrelated and without any commonalities? The model being filled with spirit, life, and complexity, and the object purely inanimate?
Read MoreWith this project, I am interested in the assumptions we make of other people when they are placed in a certain context. For example, what connections will we make when an individual is placed next to a pair of shoes or a watch? Will we assume that the model next to a pair of running shoes has some affinity for running? Or will we think of each model and object as completely unrelated and without any commonalities? The model being filled with spirit, life, and complexity, and the object purely inanimate?
