Sarah Popple - Blog Assignment 2

Jody Sevron created a cohesive and personal art exhibit by photographing belongings of her deceased loved ones. Each picture was different and meaningful. The exhibit was cohesive due to the fact that each picture exposed a random object such as this teacup, a Boy Scout shirt, charm bracelet, and zippo. Nothing was the same. This kept my attention and interest as I switched my focus from one picture to the next. Anyone viewing the artwork would automatically sense the importance of these items to the artist due to the way they were centered and surrounded by nothing but white, including their frames. Each piece initiated endless possibility and wonder in my mind because each item was the center of attention and the visual aspect to a unique, important story.

The picture shown to the right was not only the first of the exhibit but stood out to me the most. I literally had to touch the picture to make sure it was only two dimensional. The white frame and background allowed the teacup and it's shadow to be the center of attention and literally look like it was protruding from the paper. The way the artist used the photography on this particular picture made it known to me that this teacup was somehow very important and stood for something much bigger than anyone would initially think. The shadow was a subtle but important part of the picture because it gave the reality that the item was real in person and now is at least in memory.

The meaning behind this picture is hard to determine due to it's simplicity. We know from the artist that the item depicted belonged to someone she once loved but the memory behind the object itself is deeper and more personal than a viewer can determine at one glance. I think that's the importance of this picture and the exhibit as a whole, the unknown. We can all look at these pictures and think of a story to pair with the objects depicted in them but we never will experience it the way the photographer did. That element of wonder and inquisitiveness is what makes the exhibit successful.