Immateriality to materiality?

The processes involved in the completion of my project "Fearfully and Wonderfully Made" has been a delightful experience. I can almost describe it as a journey, filled with surprises, challenges and achievements. In the beginning the thought of editing over 300 images down to 2 final images seemed impossible. It began by selecting 32 out of the 300 for Flickr. Digital media has presented us with incredible opportunities that did not exist in the past. Some may dislike the idea of the physical touch or materiality lost in the electronic production. Mary Ann Doane in Indexicality and the Concept of Medium Specificity writes: "technologies of mechanical and electronic reproduction, from photography through digital media, appear to move asymptotically toward immateriality, generating images through light and electricity." The generation of images through light and electricity has made it possible for photographs to be sent instantly at the click of a button. I was able to send my images to my grandma in England and my mum and aunt in Ghana all at once.

I have to admit that nothing beats having the actual photographs in your hand; there is just something about that physical touch and interaction. This was made possible by the printing of a magazine, followed by ten then four (8.5x 11") prints and finally two (11x14'') prints. The process from digital to print could be described as a shift from immateriality to materiality.

The last part of the project was setting up an exhibition "Watching" in the Mudd gallery. I had no idea the amount of detail and skill required when installing an exhibition. The site, the spacing between images, the height from the ground, the lighting, refreshments, all contribute greatly to the finished product. I am definitely a fan of the clean, simple look. This entire project has been an incredible learning experience.

Using InDesign to Create an Impact

Reading Sarah Greenough's commentary on Robert Frank's The Americans made me realize the importance of sequencing, creating some kind of rhythm and allowing images to strengthen one another. For my book "Fearfully and Wonderfully Made," I was torn between using a template on MagCloud and creating my own template in InDesign. I finally decided to use InDesign because I was not restricted to a set template.

For my project, some of my strongest images were the up close shots of girls staring directly into the camera lens. For these powerful images, I left a blank page on the left side and let the image bleed off the page, allowing the viewer to concentrate on the individual staring back at them. This effect creates some kind of personal connection between the viewer and the image, so I decided to use the actual names of the models. I chose not to name the other images in the book.

The images that capture the girl's writing on the mirror serve as a reminder of the title and theme of my project at 3 different intervals. These images appear repetitive and some may even describe these pages as cluttered. I chose this almost overwhelming arrangement to create an impact on the viewer. It is hard to ignore or forget bright red text placed side by side. On some of the pages I also allowed images to complement one another. Looking closely at the images side by side, one can draw some interesting connections between the images.