‘Photographic Visions:’ Digital revolution opens new vistas
Now, more than ever, the lines between art and photography have been blurred.
The 25th Annual Photographic Visions Exhibition at Pennsylvania College of Art & Design should prove that when the show opens Friday.
“Since this is our 25th year, it is the perfect opportunity to show how much photography has changed,” says Kim DePaul, Gallery DePaul director, who chaired the exhibition with Dennis Bixler, a retired photography teacher. Both are working photographers, who have a unique perspective on that changing world.
As Bixler explains, the advent of digital photography has changed the way photographers work, and made all sorts of things possible. No longer is photography just about capturing an image on film. It is about working with it like a painting or sculpture — layering, building and taking it into another realm.
New technology actually gives photographers the tools to be as bold, innovative and creative as they wish. It opens doors to the imagination.
“Photography is about visual storytelling,” says DePaul, noting that the photographer’s choice of subject, technique, size and presentation creates a mood that can be documentary, literal or poetic.
DePaul has witnessed the changes in photography, and is excited about everything she has seen in this year’s show.
“When this show began, 25 years ago, photography was almost exclusively about film and wet darkroom, and excellence had more to do with the techniques of the craft than creativity,” says DePaul. “The Digital Age has expanded the possibilities and contemporary photographers have more tools at their disposal than ever before.”
Juror for the show, photographer Barbara Dombach, admits that she was impressed with the many ways students had embraced technology, turning it into true art. It was not an easy task to choose the best of the best from the 26 photographic artists.
“It takes a certain serendipity to attract the eyes of the viewer to any photographic image. This is truly the case with the first place winner, ‘Siena Collage’ by Kristen Fortna,” says Dombach.
That image combines traditional black and white photography of a street scene with stained glass patchwork effect. The soft lines frame the city, where a person rides a motor scooter down below. Lines lead the viewer to every detail of Dombach’s composition, with its warm siena tones.
“An opening in the patchwork glass (reveals) buildings and rooftops waiting to be visually explored. It is a visual delight to explore very nook and cranny,” says Dombach.
In the second place winner, it is simplicity that speaks to the the viewer. Lauren Fisher’s “Color Study 1″ shows a small grated window and larger door against a faded orange wall.
“The building’s subtle peeling and faded paint, once a vibrant peach color, has set a warm tone for the contrasting black of the iron wall grate and heavy wooden door,” says Dombach, pointing out the balance of Fisher’s striking composition.
Third place winner is Michael Hoober with “Future Walk,” a compelling portrait of people who appear to be balancing on a pole. The digitalized images include a young woman in jeans and a business man with a briefcase. They are people, but they do not look real, in much the same way as modern animated characters, who look almost real, but also somewhat creepy, because they are not.
“At first I was drawn by the leading line and characters walking, who knows were,” says Dombach, adding that, “The image captures a spiritual essence in nature that is both stirring yet foreboding.”
The show also features five Honorable Mentions, including the “small gem” of Jean Sharf’s “Maroc II,” which shows a stormy sea in warm siena tones and Nan Chamberlain’s “Caffe Uno,” depicting a cup of coffee with the words “Torre fazione Fiorella” adding an intriguing textural dimension.
As a recurring theme and statement of our times, “Parrot/Vietnam 1968″ by Larry Kowerski, utilizes an old Vietnam War photograph of soldiers to signal a sense of deja vu in today’s wartime era.
“Just outside the Ann Frank Haus, “Rainy Queve” was captured by Joe Hunt,” says Dombach. “It is an image with a familiar name and place captured on a rainy day. A mysterious young women’s face is hidden deep in the shadows as she huddles under an umbrella.”
Color abounds in Marilyn Morrison’s “Poppies by Night.” What could have been a cliched floral photograph is very real, honest and extremely red. The flowers are wrinkled and imperfect, the stems and leaves twisted and curled, creating a compelling image of natural beauty.
Not only does the exhibit take photography to new places, but it quite literally takes viewers to the Eiffel tower in Paris, the seashore boardwalk and neon lit cityscapes.
“It shows how far photography has come as an art,” says DePaul.
LSAF Photographic Visions Show
Opening reception, Fri. 5-8 p.m.
Cont. through July 23
Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
(Call for evening, weekend hours)
Free. Pa. College of Art and Design
204 N. Prince St., 299-2593, 396-7833
www.pcad.edu