K Hart - Final Statement

FINAL STATEMENT : “Shoebox”    

           

            Drawing inspiration from early photographers Joseph Nicéphore Niépce and Hippolyte Bayard , along with the light bending experimentation of the Surrealists, I created a series of pinhole photographs. This rudimentary form of light writing combines the most straight-forward aspects of arguably the most cohesive combination between art and science: photography.  Early photographers were true scientists and pioneers of both chemistry and physics.  It was merely a new way to document the physical world, a cataloguing system of sorts to present to future generations. The pinhole camera is a direct descendant of the camera obscura, used to essentially do the same thing and aid painters in more accurately rendering their subjects. By reverting back to the earliest form of photographic imaging, I got in touch with the origins of my favorite medium. Calling upon the boundary-breaking experimentation of the surrealists, I played with multiple techniques in order to further the mystical elements of photography.

            Shoebox can be interpreted as a literal illustration of the scientific method, the hypothesis being that a simple cardboard painted black with a hole poked into it can produce images. With numerous experiments and varying findings, I then created positives out of the negatives created on the light sensitive photo paper. With further altered experimentation, I made a few polished final results. Early photographers photographed their surroundings, and themselves, in order to document the specificity of the space around them. In art and science, the general impetus behind making work and experimenting is to just the same--attain a broader understanding of who we are and why we are here. and how our surroundings impact us, and how we impact our surroundings. 
            I view this project as extremely hands on and interactive as an artist. I created not only the works, but the tools with which to create the images—the camera itself. Although each image garnered differing results ranging from completely blurred, indiscernible, light leaked images to ghost-like self portraits, the process remained almost identical. I would like to continue on with this project and further experiment with
            Chance also plays a crucial role in the series. Each image is a set of trial and error, and although the conditions can be remarkably similar, no settings will create the exact same image with the exact same specifications.  Chance and variation are what make the field of scientific experimentation fascinating to me. When an outcome is completely unexpected, or just slightly different than what one would expect,, it makes the entire process worthwhile. 

            I find that period of experimentation and discovery to be intrinsic to both scientific and artistic practice. With art, one must experiment with a medium for years before truly mastering it, and as soon as you truly “master” a particular medium, you must find some way to deconstruct it in order to create something worthy of interest.