Dec 04 2009
Life Behind Photographs
Once I walked into the International Center of Photography, I was surrounded by photographs. Each of the photographs in ICP tells a story, a life, or even a culture. The one photo collage that stood out to me the most was the woman smuggling clothing by tying them around her waist. The collage, from left to right, top to bottom, consists of photos of her untying the clothing little by little—the last frame showing her with only her normal clothes. It is a powerful collage that speaks to me the story of this woman, her life, and perhaps the culture of many other women like her.
Another personal favorite video is the room where the laundry in the slums in Mumbai, India is shown. On all four sides of the room are different videos of different things, the audience is in the center, standing and walking around, or merely turning in the same spot, feel like as if they are in Mumbai. It also reminds me of the movie Slumdog Millionaire. The arrangement of the clips was done successfully that they are right in front of the audience’s eyes.
I loved this piece with the Moroccan lady.
Your photographs should have been in the exhibition Kay :). They’re pretty amazing.
I loved the 9 photos. I actually did not know what was going on because I saw no expression on her face to determine what was happening. I would not have guessed that she was smuggling anything I thought that she was just showing the different layers in her personalty. That is the point of art though, everyone sees it differently. Her face says it all, the anguish, stress, and disappointment.
I liked the 9 photos of the seemingly heavy woman, it really told her story. Its amazing that you can get a feeling of struggle and poverty, yet the determination to do whats necessary, all from a few pictures. So many emotions can be gathered here. This exhibit was very informative in a very abstract way.
I agree with you in that each photograph showed different aspects of different cultures. Another exhibit that blended the mix of culture and social state were the collection of pictures fro China that showed the poverty that exists there. This exhibit was truly a “melting pot”.