She was a quiet storm

Transcription

1 University of Iowa Iowa Research Online Theses and Dissertations Spring 2018 She was a quiet storm Laura C. Burke University of Iowa Copyright 2018 Laura C. Burke This thesis is available at Iowa Research Online: Recommended Citation Burke, Laura C.. "She was a quiet storm." MFA (Master of Fine Arts) thesis, University of Iowa, Follow this and additional works at:

2 SHE WAS A QUIET STORM by Laura C. Burke A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Fine Arts degree in Art in the Graduate College of The University of Iowa May 2018 Thesis Supervisor: Associate Professor Bradley Dicharry

3 Copyright by LAURA C. BURKE 2018 All Rights Reserved

4 Graduate College The University of Iowa Iowa City, Iowa CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL This is to certify that the Master s thesis of MASTER S THESIS Laura C. Burke has been approved by the Examining Committee for the thesis requirement for the Master of Fine Arts degree in Art at the May 2018 graduation. Thesis Committee: Bradley Dicharry, Thesis Supervisor James Snitzer Sonya Naumann Steve McGuire

5 PUBLIC ABSTRACT She Was a Quiet Storm is a collection of photogravures depicting a narrative through various stages of an anonymous woman s life. The images original negatives were presented with no background information, giving the artist complete agency over the meaning, presentation, and eventual interpretation of the images. She Was a Quiet Storm demonstrates the ability of a photograph to tell a truth, even when an intended truth is not known. A photograph can be recontextualized without limits often through accompanying text and the original photographer s objective often plays no role in the way found images are re-presented. ii

6 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES... iv PREFACE...v SHE WAS A QUIET STORM...1 iii

7 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Whether or not it was actually there, she always felt a looming presence., 2018, photogravure diptych, 11 x 14 inches each...2 Figure 2: She was a creature of habit and stayed close to home., 2018, photogravure, 11 x 14 inches...3 Figure 3: The self-doubt came in waves., 2018, photogravure, 11 x 14 inches... 4 Figure 4: It wasn t that she couldn t play by the rules; she just preferred to be the one to make them., 2018, photogravure, 11 x 14 inches... 5 Figure 5: She was a quiet storm., 2018, photogravure, 11 x 14 inches... 6 Figure 6: She was stubborn, and it occasionally got in the way., 2018, photogravure, 11 x 14 inches... 7 Figure 7: She was sweet, but sometimes confrontational., 2018, photogravure, 11 x 14 inches...8 Figure 8: It was obvious she was both., 2018, photogravure, 11 x 14 inches...9 Figure 9: It was obvious she was both., 2018, photogravure, 11 x 14 inches...10 Figure 10: If she was watching you, she was really watching you., 2018, photogravure, 11 x 14 inches...11 Figure 11: There wasn t much she couldn t see., 2018, photogravure, 11 x 14 inches...12 Figure 12: She knew she had opportunities., 2018, photogravure, 11 x 14 inches...13 Figure 13: There was a lot hiding under that smirk, but nothing malicious., 2018, photogravure, 11 x 14 inches...14 Figure 14: She was mischievous, but mostly kept it under control., 2018, photogravure, 11 x 14 inches...15 Figure 15: Even dressed her best, she did the dirty jobs., 2018, photogravure, 11 x 14 inches...16 Figure 16: Waiting wasn t always her strongest suit., 2018, photogravure, 11 x 14 inches...17 Figure 17: She d had enough, that was for sure., 2018, photogravure, 11 x 14 inches...18 iv

8 PREFACE Photography is the medium of the masses. Photography connects the past and the present. A photograph can depict a person or a place or a special event. A photograph can serve as an anchor to reality. A photograph can act as a keeper of memories. The strength of a photograph s role as a record of history or a memory often lies in its realistic depiction of the subjects included in the frame. A seemingly accurate image produced through a photograph allows viewers to place a certain amount of trust in the veracity of the content being shown. However, a photograph alone rarely contains enough information to completely apprise the viewers of the context of the image. We rely on extra content alongside a photograph to fully understand what we re viewing. A yearbook photo lists members of the girls tennis team from left to right. In newspapers, photographs are accompanied by captions. Family photo albums are littered with notes describing each snapshot: Pat (age 9) at West Lake Okoboji, Ed s OTS graduation, 1956, etc. Better yet, your grandmother is sitting next to you, telling you stories of each photo as you thumb through the pages. When confronted with a photograph that isn t accompanied by identifying information, how does one figure out its truth? Is there a point when someone s personal history seemingly preserved and recorded throughout her life through the act of regular photographing is erased because nothing remains but the images alone? Without additional records to sit alongside the image, the person photographed can become a work of fiction, regardless of the real memories or histories originally attached to the image. A document can become an illustration. v

9 SHE WAS A QUIET STORM Whether or not it was actually there, she always felt a looming presence. It wasn t positive or negative, and she didn t know what it was. The presence didn t necessarily nag, it just made itself known. In order to combat the feeling and maintain control, she was a creature of habit and stayed close to home. That worked sometimes. Other times, the self-doubt came in waves. It wasn t that she couldn t play by the rules; she just preferred to be the one to make them. Sometimes she caused problems, both for herself and others, but she couldn t help it she was a quiet storm. She was stubborn, and it occasionally got in the way. She was sweet, but sometimes confrontational. She was obviously both sides of many things. If she was watching you, she was really watching you. Her watching came from a place of observation and curiosity, not judgement. There wasn t much she couldn t see, but whether or not she understood it was a different story. She knew she had opportunities. Sometimes she took them; other times she denied they existed. There was a lot hiding under that smirk, but nothing malicious. Because she kept most thoughts to herself, she worried people misunderstood her expressions. She was mischievous, but mostly kept it under control. A lot of people didn t even know. Even dressed her best, she did the dirty jobs. She rarely complained, because it really didn t bother her. However, waiting wasn t always her strongest suit. Sometimes there would come a point when she d had enough, that was for sure. 1

10 Figure 1: Whether or not it was actually there, she always felt a looming presence., 2018, photogravure diptych, 11 x 14 inches each 2

11 Figure 2: She was a creature of habit and stayed close to home., 2018, photogravure, 11 x 14 inches 3

12 Figure 3: The self-doubt came in waves., 2018, photogravure, 11 x 14 inches 4

13 Figure 4: It wasn t that she couldn t play by the rules; she just preferred to be the one to make them., 2018, photogravure, 11 x 14 inches 5

14 Figure 5: She was a quiet storm., 2018, photogravure, 11 x 14 inches 6

15 Figure 6: She was stubborn, and it occasionally got in the way., 2018, photogravure, 11 x 14 inches 7

16 Figure 7: She was sweet, but sometimes confrontational., 2018, photogravure, 11 x 14 inches 8

17 Figure 8: It was obvious she was both., 2018, photogravure, 11 x 14 inches 9

18 Figure 9: It was obvious she was both., 2018, photogravure, 11 x 14 inches 10

19 Figure 10: If she was watching you, she was really watching you., 2018, photogravure, 11 x 14 inches 11

20 Figure 11: There wasn t much she couldn t see., 2018, photogravure, 11 x 14 inches 12

21 Figure 12: She knew she had opportunities., 2018, photogravure, 11 x 14 inches 13

22 Figure 13: There was a lot hiding under that smirk, but nothing malicious., 2018, photogravure, 11 x 14 inches 14

23 Figure 14: She was mischievous, but mostly kept it under control., 2018, photogravure, 11 x 14 inches 15

24 Figure 15: Even dressed her best, she did the dirty jobs., 2018, photogravure, 11 x 14 inches 16

25 Figure 16: Waiting wasn t always her strongest suit., 2018, photogravure, 11 x 14 inches 17

26 Figure 17: She'd had enough, that was for sure., 2018, photogravure, 11 x 14 inches 18