Date of Submission

Spring 2015

Academic Programs and Concentrations

Photography

Project Advisor 1

An-My Lê

Abstract/Artist's Statement

Metanoia focuses on the underlying spirituality in everyday life and bringing these moments together to create a paracosm, or a detailed imaginary world created inside one’s mind, that encompasses the nostalgia of childhood and the magical tendency of light. This particular light gives it a certain power to transform reality and create a moment that is otherworldly. With these photographs I want to cultivate a sense of a different or strange reality that is grounded in the real world.

In her article titled “Beauty is the Mystery of Life”, Agnes Martin writes about the emotional response humans make that cannot be translated into words. We are not consciously aware of it until it is represented in our work. This emotional response is related to her idea of the inner mind, which tells us either “yes” or “no.” This part of the mind inspires us when we think of something we should do. She writes, “For an artist this is the only way. There is no help anywhere. [She] must listen to [her] own mind...[She] must surrender to her own mind.” It has always been a struggle to put my photographs into words because of how often I would take a picture because it just felt right. For me these photographs represent secrets of my own inner mind that are somewhat ungraspable, some stemming from my dreams and others from a pure sense of elatedness while looking at the world.

“Metanoia” refers not only to the turn towards an innate spirituality in light, but also to a personal change of heart I had in the process of making these photographs. Even though I am not religious, I do find my own sense of religion in the light and in the wonderful moments where it seems like there is some sort of underlying cosmic force.

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On-Campus only

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
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