One step closer to the end

I'm afraid this post is going to end up being very long, so I think I'll break it up into two posts.

Another semester is at an end, and I must say, it is quite possible that this was my favorite one. Which is strange because despite the fact that took two photo class, I never even picked up my camera for a school assignment. In my first class, Advanced Photography, we studied Post Modern Photography, inspired by the artist Cindy Sherman. Sherman has a retrospective exhibition showing at the Dallas Museum of Art right now. She does these strange and amazing "self" portraits, that aren't really about her even though she uses herself as the model. She is more like an actor playing a role in her photos. I highly recommend checking her work out here http://www.cindysherman.com But, as a word of warning, I would stay away from her "Disaster Series" unless you have a strong stomach. The thing about post-modernism is that a lot of art work uses acquired images and text. It is not necessarily photo based, but it can be. I was very much intrigued by this idea of working outside of the camera so I did two photo based projects where I didn't need my 35mm camera at all. Ya know it's funny, I didn't think I was going to like working in this genre as much as I do. In fact I like it so much I'm already thinking about a new body of work I'd like to start.

The first project was my Facebook project I'm just going to include my artist statement here. I think it sums up what my intentions are pretty well.

The Facebook Paradox

by: Sara Poyfair

Each day, millions of people spend more time on social networking sites than what is probably necessary, or healthy, for that matter. I am just as guilty of it as the next person.  We log in to see what is happening with our “friends”.  To see what funny dog picture or “ecard” of the day is being shared and getting an obscene number of “likes”. We post our musings, our accomplishments, our funny and embarrassing moments for the world to see.  Then, we check back in to see who is saying what about that which we have put out there.  It becomes an obsession.  We have to “check in” everywhere we go; we have to upload photo after photo because everything we do is so amazing that we couldn’t possibly keep it to ourselves.

This project is a comment on that Facebook world.  Each time we scroll through our news feed, we are inundated with images and words.  Similar to a want ad or a personal column, each post is about something completely different than the last.  The mind resets with each new post. It is meant to.  One post is not meant to relate to another, but then again, sometimes it does.  What if two unrelated posts are read together?  Does it change their individual meanings, or does it give us something new to think about?

Look at the posts.  How does one woman’s lament about a loved one reflect against another woman’s pride about her daughter’s accomplishments?  Does it make the first comment a little more sad or the second more proud?  What is an “Invisible War”, and how does Texas fit into it?  Is L.A. waging a war against a mighty state?  How do these themes coincide?  When a young widow, wishing she could share a laugh with her late husband is preceded by what is meant to be a funny Valentine’s day advertisement, does that make the advertisement less funny somehow?

These are a few of the questions I ask within this body of work. I leave it to the viewer to answer them. I leave it to the facebooker to find the links between the posts and to consider just what it is that we, the social networking public, have to say.

If you happen to see your facebook self in one of my images, please be flattered and not offended. I had no intentions to make anyone look bad or foolish.

My second and final project for Advanced Photography was my Fathers project. Once again, I'll include my artist statement to help explain myself. Under normal circumstances each photo would be matted and framed and hung in the same way you would hang a cluster of family photos on the wall. The way they are presented here is just for the sake of time and ease.

The Fathers

Over the past Fifty years the role of father has changed drastically in American culture. This change is most dramatically noted in the grand American tradition of the sitcom.

The images in this series have been acquired via the Internet to show in photograph how the father has evolved. In this series I have taken publicity shots, used for the purpose of marketing the individual shows, and placed them side by side so as to compare how the men are representing themselves in their respective roles. The small size is intended to mimic how a person might display a photo of their own father, thereby connecting the individual to the man.

Each person’s reaction to these men may differ based on age and experience with their own father’s, as well as the shows with which they may identify.

This is a very personal body of work for me. I feel strongly about how fathers today are portrayed in pop culture, to the point that I have banned several shows from my home because I don’t agree with how the men are spoken to and treated.