Look Up, Look Down: A Cabinet of Curiosities
Gilda McCrann, Shenal Tissera, Anna Tsomo, Nachama Stern
Our cabinet is a collection of small and large curiosities. The photographs show each object from the perspective of a person, roughly eye level. One would have to do as the title instructs, either look up or look down, to view each curiosity to the fullest. We include both physical objects and two-dimensional replicas of objects. There are natural and manmade wonders, as well as manmade representations of the human form. Our cabinet explores the extremities of size, and how they intersect.
Our first curiosity is the Bell Tower. It is a central landmark of Brooklyn College’s campus, one of the tallest structures in the area. As well as its scale, it is noticeable by its gold tones and the ringing of the bells that marks the time. The next curiosity is directly related, because it is a tiny depiction of the Bell Tower, ironically on a clock itself. These are seen in every hallway on campus. One has to look closely to see the bell tower, shown in simple black and white on the clock face. Our third curiosity is the largest tree on campus. Its very size is wondrous. In comparison, we interpreted a small part of a bush as its own small tree. We noticed that it has characteristics very similar to that of its full-sized counterpart. Following this, we have a statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which is larger than life size. Contrarily, our next curiosity is a puppet, a small representation of a man. Our final curiosity encompasses both aspects of our cabinet. It is a series of images depicting some of the tallest skyscrapers in the world, on a small platform.
