collage

Over spring break I had some extra time to work on a couple photo collages. The first one I did was of Linda, a folk street musician I found on Mass Street. She was interesting to say the least. I was nervous at first to approach someone on the street and ask if I could photograph them, but Linda was all for it! She told me she used to be a masseuse, but is now reinventing herself as a folk artist. She asked me who I listened to, recommended someone for me, and gave me a guitar pic in case I ever start playing. The interaction went smoother than I could have ever hoped! So, here she is:

She is so bright and fun and I think that really shows here. You get hints of Mass street and the weirdness you find there too.

The other collage I made, which will lead to my final collage for BDS, is of my sister and mother. Last year I took a PHMD course and I photographed my sister and my mother and showed the darker aspects of life that were passed down (depression, alcoholism, etc). I loved it so much that I expanded on it for my manipulation of time and space assignment. So now I have this:

It shows an interaction between a  mother and daughter, but has contrasting black and white photos that reflect the deeper meaning. In my final there will be old photos of my mom in hers and a journal entry from my sister. I’m excited to finish the project because I think it evokes real emotion.

photo inspiration

In one of my studios we’ve been learning about a photographer named David Hockney and I’ve fallen in love with his work! We’re emulating this artist by creating a photo collage that manipulates time and space. Some examples of Hockney’s work here:

   

I love the way these photos tell a story you can’t see in a video. You’re able to look at these from all angles, start from any side you wish, and stare at the details rather than the action. I started working on a few myself

I really enjoy making these and I can’t wait to see how my final one turns out!

social design

I felt really inspired after intending the Hallmark Symposium with Ryan Clifford, a social designer. I had never heard of social design before and after hearing him talk all I wanted to do was attend his class.

So, what is social design? Well his website describes what they do as applying “a collaborative design process utilizing research, analysis, visualization, idea generation, and communication to address social problems.” I’ve always wanted to find a way to mesh graphic design with doing good. I figured the easiest way for me to do that was to be a graphic designer for Young Life, or a church, or another organization like the two, so this presentation really sparked my interest.

One of the main projects he shared with us was his work with Baltimore’s farmers market. He and his students designed a mobile truck that would allow the farmer’s market to be anywhere. It eventually led to a delivery system. I think it looks pretty sweet myself. It was just really cool to see that students are doing this in his class and that this type of degree even exists.