For this project, I sought to comment on interracial marriage. As the wet plates I sourced from were primarily from World War I, I thought it was fitting that the war was one of the elements that made interracial marriage possible. This photograph was taken by me, with my husband and myself as the subjects. We got married this past summer, and I used my actual wedding dress as the wardrobe for me. This brought a contemporary element into the work. My husband wore a plain suit that could fit into any timeframe. During World War I and for a decent time afterwards, relationships between black and white Americans were not only frowned upon, but could lead to the death of those involved. It is baffling to consider how close in time that cultural norm was. Overall, this work reminds the viewer of that fact and further drives the point home with scratches across the piece, most prominently right between the subjects. A scratch also runs across the face of the man to emphasize the fact that he would be more likely to suffer consequences of an interracial relationship, simply due to his race.
I sourced pieces from a few images.
The background came from this source: https://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/civwar/item/2018667369/
The large scratch across the image comes from this source: https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2018666106/
The curtain in the background comes from this source: https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2017893758/
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ReplyDeleteThis work I believe is the strongest. The work I am critiquing is by Cami Smith. The photograph was taken by herself, featuring herself and her Husband as the subjects. The basic subject is an interracial married couple posing indoors. The tone of the image is well done and simulates the wet-plate collodion picture, and the texture is detailed well with the deep scratches and the dark vignettes on the edge give this digital composite an authentic finish. The idea behind the photo is well done, from the uniforms to the decay of the photo could serve as metaphors. The physical scratch directly on the man's face could symbolize the scars of society, pressure, violence, and barriers that have historically sought to tear and divide the interracial couple. The technical execution of the project is well done to show the concept. By intentionally drawing back to World War 1 to hold a deeper and historical meaning, showing how extreme the social norms were enforced at the time in America. The placement of the scratch over the husband's face highlights the severe and dangerous consequences a Black person in interracial partnerships. In conclusion, this image is a very powerful digital composite that bridges the personal narrative with a difficult time in American History. By merging modern standards from her recent marriage with the vintage wet-plate negative and its original timeline. The artist effectively communicates her intentions through each detail of the photo and her statement.
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