Concept #1

Here we are… now I’m getting ready to enter the final stretch of getting into the BFA program at the University of Houston. Barring any surprises in terms of academic requirements (as far as I know I’m good to go, but I still need to meet with my adviser to verify my academic standing), all that stands in my way is judgment of my portfolio. I’m tinkering with the main candidate concept right now. I also have another series, one with which I’ve been working for over a year, but that one is not as well developed on an intellectual level just yet.

Without further ado, here is a working statement and my current photo candidates:

Like a garden rake or a screwdriver, a gun is a tool built for a purpose. The purpose for which guns are built is to kill. Unlike the above named tools, as well as many others, people hold a certain fascination for guns. Often people will try to own as many as legally possible, whether it is economically feasible or not for that particular individual.

This project will attempt to deconstruct the gun in order to see what it is that may be a root for their fascination. As this medium is merely an index of a gun, I will attempt to employ those things that the camera does well in order to minimize the fact that the image is an index and allow the viewer to think they are looking at the object being indexed. The use of light and shadow, as well as selective focus, will be employed in order to isolate various parts of the object. In some cases, there will be no complete focus anywhere within the frame. The goal is the force the viewer to come to the objective facts of the image in front of them, thereby delaying the entry of their own external context into the thought process and giving them a chance to consider objective facts.