Old is New Again: Dream Against the Reality
When first coming about this project, I was still determining what I wanted to do as a concept. But when I started shooting some pictures and doing some research, I realized I wanted my concept to explain more of the history of African American culture during the period when wet collodians were rarely popular (1850s).
During this time period, African American artists were faced with many challenges due to racism and discrimination. So when it came to men and women of this culture, anything out of the norm that gives the idea that African Americans have higher standards than what society portrays falls into an unjust category. The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 made it dangerous for enslaved and free African Americans to pursue artistic careers as they could be captured and returned to slavery.
I created a narrative complex of the mindset of slavery where it is the dream versus the reality status that society pictures African Americans of this period. The images that I used from the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Catalog are the border around the frame, the landscape, and the figures in the back to give the idea of being in that time period and what artists would dream to do versus what is actually true. She stares into the dreams of a traditional artist with print works in the most fashionable attire of the highest status an African American can have but still lives in a home where she is in bad living conditions.
In Jazmine Chance “Dream Against the Reality” there is a young woman holding up a piece of paper toward the left side of the frame, what looks as though she is in a building. Sitting with papers covering a table, a window directly right behind her with the blinds closed, and another window to the right of her with no binds. Looking out to a street with trees on both side of the street. And a group of people walking down it. The young lady has a stern face expression while looking at the piece of paper she is holding up. There is a chair across from her that the table that is empty in the right side of the frame. There are textures that look as though the photo was scratched, and smudged, and maybe even a stain the upper left corner of the photo. The edges are distressed, and the photo is in a monochromatic sepia tone.
ReplyDeleteIn the “Dream Against the Reality” the young lady that is inside of the build appears as though she is in thought looking at the piece of paper. With the title of this photography, it appears that she is in her own dream and the people and environment outside of the window that is open is showing the reality of the world outside, because of the people outside looking towards the window inside. Also, with the young lady looking only at the paper, not making any contact with the people outside of the window as though she is ignoring them. The distress of the photo makes it look as though it is old, scratched at, and could mean the mental distress of the lady holding the paper. While going after her dreams and goals that is important to her because of her serious facial expression.
I think the content such as the lady holding paper, the table being covering in more paper adds to the photo about this person being focus and serious about what she is doing and thinking because of her serious facial expression. The textures such as the warped edges, the scratches, smudges, and the stain all make it appear as though it was taken back when wet plate collodion process was the way to take photos. I do think that having some parts of the edges appear as though they are missing really would have pushed it further. Having the window to the right of the lady with people outside having them looking in adds the tension of people looking into one’s dreams and wondering because a persons dreams are personal to that person. The lady being slightly blurred also persuades us that this was a long exposure and a person holding this posse for so long would come out slightly blurred.
This photography conveys that it was taken in the past with all the scratches, smudges, blurredness, and the warped edges. This photo also expresses a feeling in seriousness, and tension not only because of the subjects facial expression but also with the group of people outside of the window looking in. Overall, the concept, and the techniques used to create this photo is convincing it was taking in the past.
-Dominique R.