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I initially met Sandy Dyas in our Digital Processes class and was struck by her spunky and upbeat attitude. I am grateful for the chance to meet her beforehand, as her attitude and personality greatly informed and enhanced her exhibition “my eyes are not shut.” We were told to seek out the connections to space and time that Sandy was constructing in the gallery space.
I was lucky enough to have the chance of seeing her exhibition before the official gallery opening and was blown away by her ability to transport me into the world of Midwestern life the photographs offered. Initially, I was put off and confused by her collage-inspired presentation of photographs, but I grew to understand and appreciate the motives behind her decision to do so. The grouping of photos allows the viewer to explore the subtle nuances captured in individual photos, then start to relate them to the others that have been strategically placed around it. Sandy spoke of working through a certain awkwardness in her photos in the lecture, and while this may or may not have been that awkwardness, I do believe that her method of collaging offers a solution to an awkwardness that I personally deal with when viewing photos in a gallery setting.
I understand that placing photographs individually gives the photograph the space and individuality the piece deserves, but I often struggle with the process of piecing together the narrative, if there is one. Sandy’s process not only allows the viewer to have a more informed idea of her narrative, but it breathes a new life into the way that the viewer is able to generate new meaning and connections from existing ones.
If you're interested in hearing Sandy talk more about her work, inspiration, method of working, etc., check out "six white horses" on her Vimeo account which you can check out here.
If you're interested in hearing Sandy talk more about her work, inspiration, method of working, etc., check out "six white horses" on her Vimeo account which you can check out here.
Sandy Dyas was certainly a refreshing visiting artist to grace the walls of Wriston’s Kohler Gallery. Her spirit and passion for art is something I won’t forget! The integrity and confidence instilled in her photographs are traits I hope to exude in my own artwork with time and practice. Thank you, Sandy!
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I completely agree with your analysis of the way Sandy composed her photos in the gallery. I felt that the individual photographs held a different meaning and elicited a different feeling when they were placed next to other photos. I appreciated how direct her photographs were; I related with many of them without even knowing the person in the picture.
ReplyDeleteYou and I are on the same page, it seems. I think the awkwardness in this case is the sense of continuity between photos, or, at least, the desire for your eye to travel from one photo to the next in succession. For whatever reason, Sandy has a natural talent for this, which you illustrate well.
ReplyDeleteI would just like to agree in saying that her ability to take us into the world of the midwest was amazing; her photos literally stood as perfect portals into seeing what candid and representative life is like. But I also want to say that your view on her "collage-inspired presentation of photographs" was one I shared as well. I at first was uneasy about it being truly better together as a collage. But after her explanation, I really saw the "connection" between the photos that she was taking about. I just wasn't able to word it as well as you explained in your post. Thank you for doing that and I look forward to seeing more of your engaging posts!
ReplyDeleteI think Sandy would really appreciate that you took the time to include photos in your post. In my personal opinion, text is always better with a visual pairing.
ReplyDeleteOkay, not that it's terribly relevant to your post, but I love the font. I have a thing against sans serif fonts, and the one you used is not only serifed, but still looks great on a computer screen. If you get the chance, could you tell me which font you used?
of course! I'm a bit of a font junkie so I'm always looking for what works best with my aesthetic haha. the font is called Josefin Slab :)
DeleteAriel - thank you for your response. I hope people will be able to see the connections and find new relationships and meanings by placing individual photographs next to others -- or in the case of my installation - groupings of images are "collaged" in a space... I see this as a road map of images and ideas...We are all collecting ideas and places as we travel through time and it is only when we stop and pay attention that we can see emotional and physical connections taking place in our life. When I installed this show a few weeks ago - I definitely found new relationships, ones I had not noticed before. The installation changes each time I put it up. The story keeps changing, moving, shifting...but it never ends. That is life.
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