“Trick Shot” is a collection of photographs on display in the Nancy Lincoln Gallery from December 17 through January 16.
The collection was curated by Katie Block, a Beaver parent and independent art advisor. This group of work asks the viewers to look more deeply into how the images are physically constructed in terms of materials and content. The show also intends to create conversations around what we consider “real” in a digital age. Block will work with students to help generate interpretative support materials for both this show and our student’s own work.
Outside of museums, this is a great show for students to see this work up close and personal.
– Katie Block
Artists include: Lalla Essaydi, Sangbin IM, Abelardo Morell, Vik Muniz, Lori Nix, Tara Sellios, and Rachel Perry Welty
Saw the exhibit? Leave your comments about the show below.
Top photo: Sangbin IM | Palace of Versailles
Uranium Extraction Plant:
The sunset and nature demonstrated in this artwork is really detailed and precise. It looks like it could be real but then when I saw the deer drinking from the pond I knew it wasn’t because they look fake. The thing that makes this interesting is the modern building on top of the cliff. It looks very industrial almost like a factory with all the pipes and tanks that are visible. I also noticed two pipes coming out of the cliff with toxic looking green liquid dripping from it. I like all of the colors used and how the scene is portrayed.
I think that this represents how industry and the modern world is affecting nature and the animals. This is because the green toxic liquid is dripping into the lake and harming the deer drinking from it.
Did the artist mean to make the piece look like a photograph except for a few details? Was how I understood the piece how the artist wanted viewers to understand it? What materials did the artist use to make this?
Lessons of Impermanence
Tara Sellios
I see many animals, including a duck, clams, lobster, eggs, etc. All of these animals are placed together to make up one larger animal. It appears to have a body of many animals, and there is a duck in the heads place. Surronding this image are multiple clams, some have liquids dripping off of them. I understand that a larger animal is trying to be created. I also understand that the duck is placed where it is because it is the larger animal used. I am curious about the clams surrounding the large object. I do not know what they’re symbolism is nor why they are there.
In the photo called parade i love how from far away it looks real. Once you look at it and focus on each part you can tell it is not real and that someone put each object in a certain place. The photographer used a common event like a parade and found a creative want how to photograph it. The buildings in the photo look real compared to the animals. The first clue to me that it was not a real place were the animals. Also to me each animal is in a certain potion or location and has a meaning behind it. Like the bee that is connected to the plane, symbolizes that it flying even though the bee isn’t real. I wonder how she came up with each theme? and why she wanted to do won of a parade instead of something else. It also reminds me of those old films and how they used the same technique to take this photo. My last question for her is does each object have a meaning to where it is place? and if so why?
A lot of what Lori Nix does in her pieces is to depict danger and disaster but also to counter-balance that with some humor. I believe the large animals speak to both of these themes as they each produce imposing and comical auras at the same time.
In terms of each object’s meaning I believe she is probably very deliberate in her placement, but probably wants to leave some of that up to interpretation for her viewers.
The image called “Parade” is actually a diorama. However, it is made to look extremely realistic. There are many buildings with lights lit up inside, and there are lamp posts and cars which adds to making the entire image look realistic. In the image, it looks as if a parade is being prepared. There is a large bunny float and chicken float with wires around them. This shows that they are being blown up for the parade. There is also a fish lying in the bottom left corner with nets and wires surrounding it, showing that is is about to be blown up. The image also includes harsh shadows and lines to further convince the viewer that the image is real. The sky is a dark blue and it looks like it is very early in the morning. There is also a large red and white banner going down the length of a building. The banner says “Welcome To Our 59th Annual Parade”. This also adds to the idea that a parade is being prepared. However, I would like to know how long it took to make this diorama look so realistic.
Lori Nix worked on “Parade” for many months, however, no exact period of time is known. In regards to the realistic aspect of the diorama, Nix approaches all of her pieces with ‘realism’ because this is the impression she wishes to evoke from her pieces.
I am looking at the piece called Camera Obscure the Chrysler Building in hotel room. When I first walked into the gallery it was the first thing that i saw, and it intrigued me very much. I like how it is in black and white, it make me feel like im in a flashback that got messed up. I see a hotel room with a couch, a picture, lamp, and a bed. The room is very bare, but the whats reflecting onto it is what makes it interesting. In the reflection is what i think the Chrysler Building and the buildings surrounding it. They are projected upside down, so it makes you wonder which one of the two scenes is right side up. The artist obviously put a lot of thought into this picture, and you can tell that. Everything in the room is placed in the perfect spot. There is a towel on the couch that isn’t just there, its placed and folded in a way that makes it look like it is part of the chair. Everything in the scene has a lot of detail, but it doesn’t look overly crowded. The black and white also helps the scene blend together more. All the shades in the scene are one of a kind. There are so many different shades of black that is repays the fact that there is no color. The lighting in the picture is used to its advantage. The shadows of all the different furniture make the scene. It fills in the blank spaces perfectly.
Some things I would like to know more about is how the author made the photo. Did he use a projector? Or did he blend the photos together in the process of developing the photos? The picture makes me feel very at home, but also makes me feel like i’m in a horror movie. This picture fascinates me and I would love to know more.
The picture that grabbed my attention the most is made by Vik muniz mural made out of ink. I think that its interesting to see each of the dots on the page because you know that each one of them were carefully thought out. Also the different colors of ink that are used is interesting because I actually didn’t know that you could mix inks to get a softer color of grays. I have a few questions on how the artist did his process and what type of tools he used to get the dot of ink to almost look 3D. There are some dots that stick out because some of the sizes look different in a way. The part of the picture that drew my attention first was the big black eyes in the middle of the face because theres a pattern that is shown but then theres these big dots that show the eyes. I question if he wanted to make some of the strokes look longer then and to make it look almost lining. It also looks cool the way he used the ink to shade.
Vik Muniz uses ink in this certain piece. The grays and softer colors in the image are actually not mixed, but they are reflections from the camera and how the photo was taken.
The artist of the Bullets picture mentions in her biography that she grew up an Islamic woman. In the photograph, bullets cover the entirety of the surfaces that the women are surrounded by. There is currently political and religious conflict in the areas where Islam is being practiced, so I think the use bullets is an interesting and symbolic choice of material. Are the bullets supposed to represent the war and violence found in many countries with a strong Islamic population nowadays? I’m also curious about the writing on the women’s bodies – what does it say?
The use and symbolism of bullets is up to interpretation. I think that the important thing to note is not only the violence associated with bullets, but the irony in their beauty. I don’t know what the writing means, but it is safe to assume that the curvature of the woman’s body may have changed the curvature of the lines and therefore the meanings of the writing. It is important to note that the artist doesn’t use models. These are all real people with real stories, and I think that in creating her works she tries to keep a certain element of mystery.
Camera Obscure the Chrysler Building in hotel room. The one thing that I wonder about is how he got his idea to take a photo of a hotel room and add the scene of the sky scrapers. One thing i see in the picture is the skyscrapers in the back on the wall upside down. To me the landscape looks like New York. Maybe what the artist was thinking was that maybe the artist moved but he felt like in his home he needed new york.
the picture was taken with a pinhole camera which is the reasoning the picture was displayed upside down; its part of the process of the camera. Which is included in the picture label in the gallery. In terms of the root of the idea; I believe he was trying to deceive the audience with the simplicity of the room to focus on the skyline. The picture gave me the message displaying how a big a city can be, but yet how and quite and lonely it can feel. However, these are both just opinions.
The image I find most interesting in the gallery is Lessons of Impermanence Untitled no. 3 by Tara Sellios. The picture draws your eye first the the left using color. Almost all the colors in this image are shades of white or off white, so the brightness of the red meat and the dark of the lobster give a sharp contrast. The most interesting part of this image is the fact that it is set up to look like a still life of a meal, but all the mets are raw and the seafood is not prepared. This gives the image a morbid/ gross feel. The picture leaves me questioning what the message of this image is, and what the process of trying to photograph it was like.
It’s appropriate time to make some plans for the future and it is time to be happy.
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