Final Project Proposal

Shelly McMahon

5/11/11

ARTO 354

Final Project Proposal

1. The What:

            For my final project I am going to photograph my grandmother’s house in Grant’s Pass, Oregon. My grandparents have lived on their ranch in Grant’s Pass since my dad and his sisters were in elementary school. My mom, dad, six siblings, and I would pack into our huge van and drive down there for every major holiday and any extra vacation weekend my dad had from work when I was in elementary and middle school. I found out recently that my Aunt is going to move into my grandparent’s house while my grandma lives in a manufactured home on another part of her property, and will most likely renovate it. I’m interested in this strange relationship I will have photographing the house; both documenting it as well as trying to capture how that space is nostalgic to me. I can only see those spaces from an intimate perspective, and I think exploring this area will cause the house to become something more than just rooms and things.

2. The Why:

            This project is relevant to this course because I think this series will be much more successful in color than black and white. Their entire house is covered in natural wood paneling, wood furniture, and antiques that possess so much warmth; it wouldn’t resonate as well using black and white, analog processes. It’s going to be important to have control over the color temperature, tint and saturation utilizing Lightroom and Photoshop.

            Trying to instill life into inanimate objects is a goal of mine as a metalsmith because I start out with such cold, and rigid materials. I especially find that manipulating material by hand lends itself to organic forms. I think that this project is an exploration of how human interaction gives objects their significance and where this significance resides. In this way, I’m continuing to investigate how a human presence is needed in order to elevate things from mere objects.

3. The How:

            I’m going to stay overnight at my grandmother’s house, arriving early in the afternoon and leaving late afternoon the next day. I’m going to go room to room, just spending time in them, maybe writing/drawing. Then I’m going to photograph them over the course of the two days, using only the natural and artificial lighting that the house possesses. I’m only going to photograph the interiors. Depending on what I feel like when I get down there, I’ll decide on the style I want to shoot in: dead on, close up, or some other method.

            The prints will be pretty large, utilizing a type of paper that brings out warmth in tones. I want the spaces to be approachable and seem familiar to the viewer, like the rooms shown in the photos are from a house they’ve visited before. I don’t want it to be like when you walk into someone else’s house for the first time.  

4. References and Inspirations:

            The artist I’ve been thinking about is Larry Sultan and his “Photos from Home” series. I keep thinking about the insight he had about that space and how that really came across to the viewer because you felt like you had a greater understanding of that space than just seeing them in a photograph would allow.

5. This will be the first series I make outside of the metals department. I am looking forward to creating a ton of prints, and learning about how to layout my work so that they have the interaction I’m imagining they will have with the viewer.