Multiples in Photography and More

November 24, 2008, 7:29 pm
Filed under: Class Project | Tags: arts, design, digital, film, literature, narrative, photography, printing

"<i><i>Morning Tradition</i></i>" by Grace Cherubino

"Morning Routine," Grace Cherubino

Meaning arises out of context—and lack of context. A new course at COA, Multiples in Photography: Creating Context, explores this dynamic of understanding. Works from the course utilize double, triple, and multiple presentations of images (in the forms of diptychs, triptychs, quadtychs, and even quartychs and books!) as a means of developing photographic narrative technique; thinking about multiple ways of seeing; and ultimately, in the words of fourth-year student James Liepolt, “creating a photograph that conveys a greater message than any single photograph can.”

Visiting artist Denise Froehlich, who is teaching the course, says that a photographer can often “say more” with multiples—creating narrative tension and fields of reference for comparison and juxtaposition.

For the course, several students even created photographs in grids. These range from the traditional, such as Vivian Phillips’ “Sunset Tree,” in which a tree sits within a 15-frame grid, to the pointedly comic. Grace Cherubino’s grid, for instance, focuses on a man shaving; in one portion of the grid, however, there’s a woman shaving a painted-on mustache and beard. Adding a further twist to the concept of multiples in photography, the woman happens to be Cherubino’s identical twin—who did a photography independent study with Froehlich. Her work includes poetry added to a photographic book created by student Natasha Jet Logan.

All of the works (some of which may be seen below) are black and white giclee prints, many are arranged in a non-traditional manner, and a few utilize mixed media and alternative methods of installation.

The course concluded with a gallery show celebrating the student’s hard work. Images of the Multiple’s Blum Gallery Show can be seen on COA’s Flickr Photostream.