The Cosmos in a droplet
For me, a class in photography was an interesting foray into a different form of thinking, as
photography urges both the creator and the audience to isolate subjects by capturing them in a framing device, in which semantics can be derived both from what is explicit and implicit. However, as a Senior in Industrial Design, I have learned to adapt my process to become proactive and resourceful when developing ideas; this dichotomy was one of the inspirations which led me to pursue this concept as my final series.
The Setup
On the left are all the objects I used to create the following images. I used a medical syringe to apply a thin coat of ink on a plexiglass sheet. According to the consistency and shape of the ink, I would add cooking oil or hair gel to add texture and increase the viscosity of the pigment. I also used a watch to keep track of time between applications of color, creating the gradient effect in the image.
In this set, I wanted to play with the duality of conscious creation, and sub-conscious action: in other words, I was performing a bout of Abstract Expressionism. It's most influential artists such as Isamu Noguchi, Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko have all exhibited nihilistic, chaotic, or even idiosyncratic tendencies in their work. To this end, I aimed to capture the spontaneity of their technique, but contrast this with the unperturbed observation of a photographer. Tangentially, as I began to photograph my images, I became enamored by the luminosity of the color and the ever-sweeping and swirling semblance of the ink beckoning my gaze deeper into its phantasmagoria.
Project duration: 1 Month
Key Skills:
Presentation
I chose to showcase my work in a grid fashion in order to juxtapose my presentation with the fluid forms of the images. I discovered that a lot of patterns involved red, violet, and blue, ergo, I tried to interchange these photos with ones that had other hues to create a more wholesome viewing experience. I decided to add a computer slide show at the bottom of the exhibit, as I was dissatisfied with the way the inkjet printer dimmed the coloration of my project.
Final Presentation
Icons by several authors, all rights to perspective owners