WIP Critique #3

• What was/is the initial idea, how is it evolving?
• My initial idea was to examine the cultural and linguistic differences of each society, how those differences are perceived by people who do not belong to that culture, and how those perceptions affect our view of and relationship with others. This initial purpose seems to be evolving into something that considers solely the concept of the "other" or the foreign, as opposed to the cultural. I think the photographs I am now producing evoke a more other-worldly, unsettling, or provocative feel. I also believe that as I make the photographs, I am starting to think about how we "display" culture or the foreign, and how this process of exhibition adds a layer of uncertainty or distance from those who perceive what is displayed. 

• Why do you feel the images you selected to print for this critique are your strongest, from among the group of new images? (i.e., what was your criteria for selection)
• I feel that the images I selected to print are my strongest because they seem to evoke the most mystery and uncertainty, which coincides with my desire to examine the "other" or the unknown. As mentioned previously, the more aesthetic feel of the photos also motivated me to choose the new images for critique. This time around I realized that I started to take lighting into greater consideration, which produced the prints that I wanted to exhibit the most. I am starting to use the darker lighting surrounding the objects as a way to give them a distant or even creepy feel, which coincides with the topic I am trying to tackle.

• What specific questions do you have about the work in terms of how someone other than yourself might interpret the imagery?
• Do you have any suggestions as to how I could better convey culture through the images? Should I focus more on the concept of uncertainty and perception of any unusual or unfamiliar thing instead of on only culture? What are your responses to the images I decided to focus on? Do you think that the image works best with my theme with or without the border of the display case? Does the effect of darkness add or detract to the image? Should I continue to work with figurines or focus more on objects like spoons, teapots, flowers, and pottery pieces? Do you respond more strongly to images that show closeups or those that show the things I photograph farther away?

• Why do you feel the selected image most strongly conveys your conceptual content?
• I think this image conveys the significance I want to place on perspective and perception because it demonstrates items that can simultaneously hold different meanings depending on who perceives them, and because these objects are evidently contained or reside within an unreachable space. I think that the image has a claustrophobic feel that can impact how one sees and understands the objects. This image, I believe, draws the viewer in with its appealing colors and intricate activity, which then can transform into a more eerier feel when one considers the darkness and the crowded space that the objects exist in.

• How do you hope the formal treatment of each image impacts the interpretation?
• I hope that the formal treatment impacts the interpretation because in the first image I edited (bottom), I focused more on refining the detail of what was in the image in order to allow the viewer to see it clearly while also including the darkness. This was meant to emphasize that what the viewer sees is clearly being displayed and meant to be observed and criticized. In the second image (top), I erased the border that the display case created around the objects and attempted to make it appear as if these objects were floating in an otherworldly, surreal space. This was meant to illicit an uncomfortable feeling of confusion in the viewer, a feeling that would inspire an interpretation of the black space as a limbo, the objects forever suspended, waiting for anyone to allot them meaning.