Tenleymayfield’s Weblog

Last day of class! There has been so much going on over the past few weeks, and for anyone that has been following my blog, I thought you might want to read my final artist statement regarding my Senior Exhibition.

PRESERVE TO MAINTAIN

In life I have found that there are many things you come to pass that are antiquated. These certain belongings that have evolved are, to some extent, inadequate. One such item is the camera. Photography equipment from the 1960’s to the early 2000’s has been replaced by new digital technology. Film cameras are now mostly retired due to the process of developing and due to environments moving quickly toward a future where time is of the essence. Those who might wish to use the “older style” certainly must not only possess the patience for the laborious process of film development, but also must appreciate the nostalgia that is film photography.

Over the past few years, I have developed a fascination with the forgotten equipment exiled in old boxes, living their last days on dusty shelves. As I find them, I enjoy puzzling out how they operate, I think about the memories they created or even the events they captured at some point during their previous life. One thing is for certain: Although the photographs from these cameras will not last forever, the memories and the nostalgia have a much better chance at survival.

So, I started asking myself how to combine memories and cameras. How can they become static forms?

I started purchasing this equipment from garage sales and antique shops. I accumulated a large box of antique film cameras. Some date back to the 1950’s. The idea: create a personal connection out of actually collecting together these cameras I had found. What had these old things been witness to? What mysterious histories those others had recorded… certainly a myriad of different uses with the cameras. Who used them really? What was I going to do with all these cameras other than let them collect dust on another shelf or in another box? My first instinct after examining all the cameras inside and out was to cut them in half. This decision came about from the idea that most see a camera, load film into it, snap the shot and get the film developed. My fascination with the guts of the cameras started to be more prevalent when I would hold and experiment with the cameras. My curiosity turned into an aspiration to show a view of these cameras that would portray a range of developing technology overtime in an unexpected way. These cameras have been transformed into an altered artifact that will only last for a short, though indeterminate, period of time.

Wow! This semester has flown by. My Senior Thesis Exhibition opens tomorrow, I have a 5-6 minute presentation due at 4:30, and a 10 page paper due on the 23rd. Time flies. I will graduate on May 3rd, well as long as I pass all my classes! Anyway, I have spent the last two semesters working on my final project. As of 11:00 am today, the project is finished. I installed the pieces on the project table in the gallery today. The biggest weight on my shoulders has been lifted. Now all I can seem to think about is my presentation tomorrow. It is amazing what you learn from school and fellow students. I have learned how to be confident about my work, whether it is good or bad. I have taught myself how to own the things/pieces/work that I produce. My final project started as a physical history of the film camera… that proceeded to turn into cutting cameras in half as a way to show their “guts”. I toyed around with resin, which did not work the way I had intended. Now this project has five objects. Each objects has an outer side of plexi glass. The inner parts are comprised of a camera that has been cut in half and the rest of the volume is Know Gelatin. The gelatin is somewhat translucent. This way I was able to set the cameras inside of something that would keep them from moving. They will eventually mold which will make for a more interesting look. Regardless, I love the progress that I made and the experiements that I made.

Outside of school, I try to involve myself in events that happen around town. For instance, I volunteered to take pictures of an event that happened at the Hunter Museum of American Art in March. The event was Hunter Underground which was put on by the Avant Art Committee. This event was a silent auction with food provided my Events with Taste and music for the evening was provided by “Jaggered Edge”, a Rolling Stones cover band. The event seemed to be a great success. Sort of posting pictures of people that I have not asked permission from, here are some of the pictures from the event. These pictures are mostly of the setup and band.

So, back to the drawing board. I spent the last week experimenting with new mediums to use to set the cameras. The idea of leaving the cameras in something as a way of preserving lends itself to thinking of a medium that can enclose the cameras in a way that can be picked up and handled. Those ideas took me to thinking about ice blocks. The original idea was that the cameras would be able to sit somewhere forever. Yet the idea of revealing the cameras over time seemed appropriate. So, I built a box filled it with water, left it to freeze for a day and then removed the box from the frozen block and watched it melt for 3 days. As time went on, the ice started to melt and the two sides of the camera slowly started to appear through the ice. Here is an image of the block.

Over the few weeks, I have been experimenting with my handful of cameras. How to make them live. what to use to carry through the experience I would like to gain from this project. resin, ice, gelatin, which medium to use? My show opens on the 14th of April and I have hit more bumps in the road than I had anticipated. Life, right. Well for this post I have decided to show the images of the resin and the camera together. The resin turned out great in theory. The resin is clear like I wanted it to be. The problem is that the resin decided to crack in a million different places. However, these cracks are spontaneous and very interesting. The problem is that the cracks take away from the camera. So, if I wanted to focus on cracks, I would have succeeded. So, I am back to the drawing board. Here is an image of the camera set in resin, cracks and all.