Project Post #5

“Nothing is pictured except what is. Everything is given so that meaning can be made
and the viewer’s presence affirmed,” (121).

As a very literal thinker, abstract is an uncomfortable category for me. I chose to take my vision
of abstraction to macro, pushing the objects I was photographing to create new landscapes of
their own. I recently celebrated my 20th birthday in quarantine, so I wanted to zoom in on the
colors, and materials of my birthday celebration and play with lighting. I wanted to take
inspiration from the above quote and give the viewer no additional information, and make all
there is literally all I’m looking at, nothing more. To add context here, however, I used a pair
of glittery star glasses, blue crepe paper, and a rainbow “2”  balloon over my light box to create
shallow, bright lighting. I have done experiments like this before, and I find myself getting lost
in the tiny worlds created between folds or light shining through layers of material. Small,
temporary worlds are created and destroyed, as materials shift, highlighting the immediacy
and fleeing nature of photography. I wanted to show the elements of a birthday, but keep the
mood somber with the stark lighting and black background, symbolizing the difference of
this year surrounding birthdays in isolation, and the different avenues we must approach
celebration. 

Glad you’re on the planet, 

Leena 

p.s. finally figured out the problem with my text not appearing in paragraph form!