Date of Graduation

8-2014

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts in Art (MFA)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Art

Advisor/Mentor

Peven, Michael

Committee Member

Musgnug, Kristin A.

Second Committee Member

McConnell, Mathew S.

Third Committee Member

Pulido-Rull, Ana

Keywords

Photography

Abstract

The works presented in "Anatomies of Melancholy" explore the residual affects of pain and trauma through photography. By combining personal stories with documentary photography this body of work conveys a tension between the (in)visibility of pain and the need to speak*. Through the process of spending time with individuals and discussing their personal trauma while making photographs, I hope to acknowledge and even conserve the pain of others. Though the images do not include a narrative of the subjects' pain, they are able to communicate and begin a visual discourse. The raw and emotive images become a platform for the viewer to empathize with the pain of others or understand their own pain. I am interested in a photograph's power to console, articulate and offer a map of our experiences. "Anatomies of Melancholy" questions the stigmatization of pain by serving as a reminder that it is a human condition, felt by all.

*Reinhardt, Mark, Holly Edwards and Erina Dugganne. Beautiful Suffering: Photography and the Traffic in Pain, 11.

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