COLLECTION NAME:
Graduate Thesis Collection
Record
Title:
Portraits of the Human Artifact
Creator:
Cole, Brian Edward
Subject:
Thesis (M.F.A.) -- Photography
Subject:
Savannah College of Art and Design -- Department of Photography
Rights:
Copyright is retained by the authors or artists of items in this collection, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Abstract:
"'Portraits of the Human Artifact' explores the transformation of energy as it leaves
the human body after death and the physical embodiment of memory. Through
photography, I seek to preserve the humanity and the memory of the individual as a
precious artifact that is left behind. The pre-photographic practice of creating death
masks as mementos provided a foundation for this body of work. While death masks
where created by taking a mold directly from the face of the deceased, I have used the
castings as representations of the living person’s memory. These castings are revealed to
the viewer as entropy strips away the sediment concealing their identity. Symbolism
throughout the exhibition references spiritual, religious, and mythological accounts of the
transference of energy at the time of death, as well as the passage of the spirit between
our world and the afterlife."
the human body after death and the physical embodiment of memory. Through
photography, I seek to preserve the humanity and the memory of the individual as a
precious artifact that is left behind. The pre-photographic practice of creating death
masks as mementos provided a foundation for this body of work. While death masks
where created by taking a mold directly from the face of the deceased, I have used the
castings as representations of the living person’s memory. These castings are revealed to
the viewer as entropy strips away the sediment concealing their identity. Symbolism
throughout the exhibition references spiritual, religious, and mythological accounts of the
transference of energy at the time of death, as well as the passage of the spirit between
our world and the afterlife."
Abstract:
Keywords: death, photography, entropy, artifact, death mask, specter, spirit
Publisher:
Savannah, Georgia : Savannah College of Art and Design (eLearning)
Date:
2018-11
Format:
1 text file [thesis] : PDF, 27 pages, color images + 20 photos : JPG, chiefly color
