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MFA Student

Major: Photography

Graduation Year: 2019

Artist Statement:

I constantly think about how the proliferation of devices and our increasing reliance on screens has affected language, judgment, and compassion. My work emphasizes the point at which we have the opportunity to engage with technology, ask questions, and seek better standards. We navigate new forms of communication – texting, social media, and digital journalism blindly and retroactively try to understand its power and influence. Our comprehension of digital content is inadequate. Technological innovation can occur in conjunction with a preservation of cultural ideals such as civility and meaningful communication but only if we become conscious of its implementation.

The speed at which we scroll or click through screens leaves little time for a discerning eye. As an image abundant society, we have become desensitized to photographic manipulation and the de-contextualization of what we look at. In this modern age, we learn about and form opinions of the world and society based on what we see on screens. My work invites the viewer to be physically present yet engaged with their smartphone. Utilizing Instagram and Photoshop paired with collage and redaction I challenge the viewer to seek out more information and context than can initially be seen. This participatory element highlights the distinction between seeing in the digital realm versus in the natural world, while providing the viewer a way to claim agency over how they see. As technological innovation subtly changes our behaviors, exercises like this give an opportunity to pause and reconsider how we can integrate technology more responsibly.