Solitude in Tandem

We live in a world of evolving distractions that steer us away from the importance; of the present moment. Subtle events, which shape our lives and the lives of those around; us frequently go unnoticed, often ironically as we engage in social media and egocentric; concerns of our own "status". What is our cultural perception of reality? What are we; missing and what will take us back to an awareness of what is really going on?; Photography has long been used to capture the present moment. However, its; depiction of the truth is subject to every choice made behind the lens. With that in mind, I; use photography to create or recreate important moments that I might have missed, even; in places that I have never been, which allows me objective insight into my own; understanding of the human experience. The staging of these narratives is central to a; concept that allows me to move in the direction of discovery, to evaluate my; commonality with those around me, and to draw attention to the importance of a split; second in time.

Copyright © Adam Watkins 2014 All Rights Reserved. iv ARTIST STATEMENT We live in a world of evolving distractions that steer us away from the importance of the present moment. Subtle events, which shape our lives and the lives of those around us frequently go unnoticed, often ironically as we engage in social media and egocentric concerns of our own “status”. What is our cultural perception of reality? What are we missing and what will take us back to an awareness of what is really going on? Photography has long been used to capture the present moment. However, its depiction of the truth is subject to every choice made behind the lens. With that in mind, I use photography to create or recreate important moments that I might have missed, even in places that I have never been, which allows me objective insight into my own understanding of the human experience. The staging of these narratives is central to a concept that allows me to move in the direction of discovery, to evaluate my commonality with those around me, and to draw attention to the importance of a split second in time. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ARTIST STATEMENT…………………………………………………..……..….........iv LIST OF IMAGES……………………………………………………………..………..vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS……………………………………………………..……….vii INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………...…………..1 BACKGROUND……………………………………………………………...………....2 A Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man………………………...………...3 CHASING ILLUSIONS OF INTIMACY………………………………..……...……….7 Creating Disconnect……………………………………………...……….9 Solitude in Tandem………………………………………………………12 REPAVING THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD…….......…………………………………13 Art & Science: Making a Case for Connection………………………….14 CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………………...……..16 BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………………………….17 vi LIST OF IMAGES Figure Page 1. MUSE #13/16X24/Chromogenic Print……………………………………………5 2. MUSE #15/16X24/Chromogenic Print……………………………………………6 3. Introspect #1/16X24/Chromogenic Print………………………………………...10 4. Introspect #2/16X24/Chromogenic Print………………………………………...18 5. Introspect #3/16X24/Chromogenic Print………………………………………...19 6. Introspect #4/16X24/Chromogenic Print………………………………………...20 7. Introspect #5/16X24/Chromogenic Print………………………………………...21 8. BeneathME: Confessions/35X24/Inkjet Print………………..…………………..22 9. BeneathME: Heart to Heart/34X24/Inkjet Print…………………………………23 10. BeneathME: The Mirror/35X24/Inkjet Print…….………………………………24 11. BeneathME: Pacify/30X22.5/Inkjet Print………………………………………..25 12. BeneathME: Bon-Appetít/25X25/Inkjet Print…………………………………...26 13. BeneathME: Ex Flammis Resurge/22.5X34/Inkjet Print………………………...27 14. Chris/30X24/Inkjet Print…………………………………………………………28 15. Fidelity/24X18.5/Inkjet Print…………………………………………………….29 16. Concerning Hope/34X34/Inkjet Print……………………………………………30 17. Premeditated/36X19/Inkjet Print………………………………………………...31 18. Abdication of the Perennials/35X24/Inkjet Print………………………………...32 19. The Two of Us/24X16/Inkjet Print…………………………………………....…33 20. Filling Spaces/30X18.5/Inkjet Print……………………………...……………...34 21. A Subtle Reformation #1/30X20/Inkjet Print……………………………………35 22. A Subtle Reformation #2/30X20/Inkjet Print……………………………………36 23. A Subtle Reformation #3/30X20/Inkjet Print……………………………………37 24. ChickenShit/30X20/Inkjet Print…………………………………………………38 25. Now & Them #1/30X20/Inkjet Print…………………………………………….39 26. Now & Them #2/16X24/Inkjet Print…………………………………………….40 27. Adults Only/30X20/Inkjet Print………………………………………………….41 vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my Graduate Committee; Joe Marotta, who’s mentorship and brilliant mind have been a reliable source of inspiration throughout the many years I’ve had the pleasure of knowing him; Ed Bateman and Carol Sogard for their unwavering support, consideration, and encouragement in matters both academic and personal; Laurel Caryn for her grace and kind guidance; my fellow graduate students for their insights, criticism, camaraderie, and genius; the wonderful personnel in the art office, Cheryl, Jenni, Aaron, and Nevon for their vital assistance with my academic affairs; The Graduate School; my parents who’s love, experience, and counsel has pulled me off the ledge time and time again; my friend and brother Gentry Boswell for being a constant support and a person that I will always be able to rely on to help me hide a body in the middle of the night; my dear friend Stephanie Cooper for her sympathetic counsel; Lastly, but most importantly, I give thanks to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for opening my eyes, teaching me how to shift my paradigm and for keeping my demons at bay when I lost the strength to fight them. In memory of a love not meant to be. 1 INTRODUCTION But the world of reality may be regarded from quite a different point of view, as the world of consciousness, the mind of man, the experiences of the inner self, the Ego. Here is a world of phenomena interrelated and reciprocally dependent. It is a realm of ideas, of memory images, of fancy, of will, and of desire. The verities in this world cannot be seen, or measured, or weighed, and yet we do not hesitate to speak of them as realities; they are real as the love of friends is real, or the anger of a foe. The passion of a Romeo, the will of a Napoleon, the genius of a Goethe ... these are realities. - JOHN GRIER HIBBEN, The Problems of Philosophy Our world is one of evolving distractions. Simulations of relationships and experiences steer us away from the importance of the present moment and leave lasting impressions on our understanding of reality. Subtle events, which shape our lives and the lives of those around us frequently go unnoticed, often ironically as we engage in social media and egocentric concerns of our own “status”. What is our cultural perception of reality? What are we missing and what will take us back to an awareness of what is really going on? 2 BACKGROUND I was born in Layton UT, with my twin sister Amber in 1981. My family was actively religious throughout the better part of my childhood and, although I became uninvolved with my religion for the majority of the recent decade, it’s influence on my life and concern for my own understanding of ‘the real’ should not be understated. My father was a part-time portrait photographer throughout the years of my childhood. However, my interest in photography wasn’t sparked until I was well into my teens. In my early childhood I was merely fascinated by the mechanics and science of photo making but otherwise failed to take notice of the distinct interpretive characteristics of the medium itself. As a little boy I had wanted to become a writer and philosopher. Stumbling in my own mind upon theories of subjectivity before the age of seven, I spent much of my time in solitude and relied on my sister to make enough friends for the both of us. I was a story-teller and constantly fascinated with the point at which an anecdote breaks free of reality and transforms into a work of fiction taking upon it the inflated memories of one’s own interpretation. Where could objective reality be found? I often wondered. I considered objective reality to be the perspective of God and wondered if it would therefore always elude me. If I could see my life the way God did would it be like watching a movie in which I was the lead character? I thought so. However, as I got a little older I realized that that egocentric concept itself has only existed since the beginning of cinema and that my experience with Hollywood films had informed my interpretation of the ‘objective’ reality and the perspective of God. What other media had 3 then influenced my thoughts and understanding of life and the world around me? The world was real wasn’t it? And if the mere changing of an interpretation warrants what is called ‘maturity’ or ‘perversion’, how does one justify confidence in what is, even widely, considered progress? As I got older faith became more of an abstract concept to me and I had to undergo many trials by fire before gaining a substantial answer to the aforementioned question. As a child my exposure to contemporary art was very limited however I knew what I ‘liked’ and I ‘liked’ Edward Hopper. The ambiguity of Hopper’s narratives allowed me to explore my own imagination as well as my grossly limited understanding of life and adulthood. At that age my egocentric mind seemed less receptive to the phenomenological impact of abstract expressionism of which the art education in my school appeared to be most interested. Alternatively the psychology of Hopper’s work was intense for me, the story building was endless, and to me (an eight-year-old storyteller/philosopher) Edward Hopper was art. A Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man Before entering my post-graduate studies I developed an affinity for shooting portraits of a young girl who I was beginning to fall in love with. At that time my professors had seen the narrative quality of my portraits and encouraged me to explore it further by introducing me to the photo tableau genre and photographers like Cindy Sherman and Phillip Lorca-DiCorcia. I became obsessed. The study of psychology in the work of these great photographers brought me back to Edward Hopper but now with a type of cinematic ‘realism’. I saw the photo tableau not merely as a device for story 4 telling but as a view of the artists’ subjective realities, and a medium through which my own interpretations could be processed, displayed, and examined. My girlfriend was an actress and the perfect resource with whom to begin constructing my own narratives. However, I discovered many challenges to my artistic process very early on. The most important of these challenges was that I could not simply build a visual story anywhere I went. Locations had to elicit a concise image of the final product in my mind’s eye prerequisite to a photo shoot in order for me to make successful images consistently. Additionally, this process wasn’t affected by predetermining the narrative; if a location didn’t ‘show’ me the image I simply couldn’t make one there. The undertaking of my first tableau series titled “MUSE” spanned nearly a year and a half and produced seventeen images, each starring my girlfriend who became my fiancé by the time the series was completed. In these images I became more aware of the photograph as a conduit for human connection and felt an overwhelming liberation from the stereotypes with which I had identified myself as a man and an artist. This ‘liberation’ occurred by using my subject as an archetype, a female representation of myself, through whom my identity was kept safe, and my own ‘reality’ could be objectively observed. In these images total control of the actors and environment became critical. After the lighting had been established I would often spend one to two hours working with the actors to get the necessary expressions. This commonly meant shooting the same scene one hundred times or more until I was satisfied with the final outcome. In the image “MUSE #13” (fig.1) lighting was meticulously arranged around an abandoned service station where only one nonfunctioning gas pump remained illuminated. And because natural gestures and expressions were crucial despite the frigid temperature and falling 5 snow, I shot eighty-nine takes before feeling confidant that I had obtained the image that matched my preconception. Similarly, “MUSE #15” (fig. 2) required renting out a restaurant after-hours and shooting 124 takes. “MUSE #13” fig.1 6 “MUSE #15” fig.2 7 CHASING ILLUSIONS OF INTIMACY “MUSE” not only became central to my body of work but it also began to reshape my thoughts toward contrived connections. By repeatedly breaking “the forth wall” in these images, my archetype reaches toward a connection with the viewer highlighting the intimate exchange of inquisitive thoughts shared between strangers within the split second of a glance. But this ‘connection’ is merely offered by proxy via the photograph through representation of a scene that had never existed organically in the external world. The theatricality of this representation as well as the highly retouched figures walk a line between the plausible and the hyperreal by lending to the interpretation of Baudrillard’s forth order of simulacra (Baudrillard). I felt strongly that such personal connections, like that of a “simple gaze”, were becoming less frequent as people around me seemed to prefer spending time conversing through text messages and social media (another reality by proxy). So, it seemed only reasonable for me to forge a connection through a simulation of happenstance with which the viewer wouldn’t feel any less secure looking a stranger in the eye than he/she would ‘liking’ a friends lunch on Insta-Gram. In her book, which highlights the neo-challenges of fostering relationships in the digital age, entitled Alone Together: Why We Expect More From Technology and Less From Each Other, author Sherry Turkle stated, “Technology proposes itself as the architect of our intimacies. These days, it suggests substitutions that put the real on the run.... we seem determined to give human qualities to objects and content to treat each other as things. 8 But when technology engineers intimacy, relationships can be reduced to mere connections. And then, easy connection becomes redefined as intimacy. Put otherwise, cyberintimacies slide into cybersolitudes. And with constant connection comes new anxieties of disconnection, ...” (Turkle). Common theories suggest that, by engaging in less real world human interaction than ever before, students of recent generations have greater difficulty than their predecessors with reading body language and interpreting facial and vocal cues during face to face interaction. If that seems difficult to believe consider this; In July of 2012 alone the United States spent a cumulative total of 121 billion minutes on social media websites. That's 230,060 years of Facebook, Tumbler and Pinterest in thirty days. We spend 20 percent of our time on our computers wrapped up in social media and 30 percent of our time on our smart phones doing the same thing. (Popkin) If we were all to sleep the suggested 6-8hrs a night whilst working at our computers from 9-5pm and took in our national average of 4hrs of TV/Home internet browsing per day, we would be allotting ourselves 4-6hrs of real world human interaction per day, minus travel time. Considering these minacious statistics is it any wonder that we gravitate toward stimulation in the form of Hyperrealism? Video games, reality television, pornography, and even sitcoms simultaneously delude and disillusion us by making us uncomfortably aware of what is missing in our lives, but that doesn't exist in life itself to begin with. These examples are part of the third order simulacra or that which itself signifies only the trace, or ever-present absence. Although many theories on the effects that hyperreal stimulation has on our subjective realities are presently too early to substantiate, neural-cognitive science has 9 long established that as we become accustomed to the task of content recognition, our emotional and cognitive awareness give way to more subtle Neural-chemical reactions which constitute reflex. Many of these reactions, while biological, are studied extensively by advertisement agencies because, as firing synapses form new Neural-pathways in the brain, reactions become more habitual and less gratifying. Unarguably the most prominent example of the hyperreal’s destructive effects on intimate human connections as well the effect of habitual stimulation on one’s cognitive self-awareness is found in research pertaining to the psychology of pornography. Creating Disconnect Further aware, fascinated, and disheartened by what I saw as an ever growing disconnect between individuals in society as well as my private life, I set out to highlight cognitive and emotional detachment in my following series “Introspect”. This view of my subjective interpretation of reality examines subjective reality itself and the alienating traits of cognitive self-involvement. Here I set out to distinguish ‘self-involvement’ from ‘self-awareness’ by construing a narrative of depressed contemplation in which my primary subjects were emotionally and mentally detached from the activities and people surrounding them. Each image in this series was assembled as a composite of two separate exposures with my primary subjects being photographed separately from those in the background. This was done to allow the actors complete emersion into their own minds and relatable experiences, and to further the disconnection between characters in the scene. In this series, instead of using the main subject as a representation of myself, I 10 saw each image as an acting metaphor for my personal relationships in which every character in the scene depicted my various roles interchangeably. “Introspect #1” fig.3 11 Following “Introspect” was the first set in my two part series “BeneathME” in which I delve deeper into my concerns about the dark nature of emotional disconnection, dishonesty and infidelity between two people in a committed relationship. These images expressed fully the repressed anxiety and heartbreaking realizations surrounding my own relationship. In order to convey such ominous trepidations and insights whilst engaged and committed to my fiancé, I utilized icons and metaphor to help deliver the narrative. In “Bon Appetít” we examine through metaphor a pivotal moment in the life of the male character. His expression suggests a complex mixture of emotional exhaustion, defeat, lamentation, and hesitation. A reluctance to partake of knowledge that will irrevocably alter his life dominates the scene. Detached from the man’s plight the young female character cast a glare out of frame indicative of relational disparities far less obvious than that of age. The accenting mask and statue behind echoes both the couple’s expressions and vacuous relationship. It is a table set for one, the candle has gone out, and acceptance is all that can be done. Though widely open to interpretation, the images in this series express concisely the destructive force of malicious pretenses with which we often interact. Inarguably theses pretenses are found throughout social media and derived from insecurities perpetuated by a world of idealized interpretations. As such, the theatrically and iconology employed in the photographs reflect the problematic nature of signs within the shallow context of self-projection and behavioral contrivances. 12 Solitude in Tandem The collection of photographs chosen to be part of my solo exhibition “Solitude in Tandem” were decided upon base on an overarching sense of loneliness and/or emotional insularity. The show title itself was chosen to highlight the manner in which human beings concurrently detach from each other and the “outside” world whilst carrying out the mundane processes of daily life. A typifying illustration of this can be seen in the series “A Subtle Reformation” wherein the quotidian actions of my character become powerful metaphors for change and a willful shift during moments of self-reflection. When caught up in these moments of emotional disconnect the procession of time seems to stand still for us and is reiterated by the “capturing” of the photograph. The subjects of this “introspection” are consumed by an assessment of their situation to the extent that we gain the sense that what we are seeing in the photographs is nothing short of the characters’ noetic visions of themselves. It is this “shared” perception which I hope will allow for an empathic response from the viewer and give additional meaning to the title “Solitude in Tandem.” In addition to the selections for the exhibition the choice of presenting the works without framing them was made to limit informing elements to those within the photographs in order to further ideas of subjective interpretation. To minimize visual conflict between the images and the gallery wall, the pieces were hung on one and a half inch cleats (blocks). This “projected” the images off the wall while maintaining their presence with authority; which might be interpreted as a metaphor for the un-rooted dominance of self-deluding ideologies. 13 REPAVING THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD “A belief is not merely an idea the mind possesses; it is an idea that possesses the mind.” - Robert Oxton Bolt In an interview with Yi-hui Huang of East Stroudsburg University, artist / photographer Matt Siber echoed Baudrillard’s sentiments with the assertion that “in a consumer society perpetuated by the media, people are caught up in the play of images and spectacle to the extent that the traditional concept of reality or truth does not matter anymore; the sign is the only channel, and hyperreality is the only “reality” we can attain” (Huang). Although my photographs can serve as objective assessments, to myself the artist, they paradoxically act as visual reinforcement of an idealized interpretation of my relationships and experiences. Such a paradox may seem to offer little meaning to any artwork beyond the context of subjectivity when the artist’s relationship to the work cannot be known or considered. This seems to echo postmodern theories on the arbitrary nature of interpretation against which new studies, in neural-cognitive science, evolutionary biology, and sociology, may offer an interesting argument. 14 Art & Science: Making A Case For Connection While discussing Siber’s sentiments with my colleagues, I argued that what truth does or doesn’t matter is not merely a question of subjectivity. Although the answer to that question might be evident with a hypothetical amalgamation of surveys, what remains at the epicenter of ‘priority’ is ‘choice’. Continuous appeals to hyperreality seemingly narrows the scope of conscious choice with the convert messages that we are merely subject to what we see and that what we see is merely what we ultimately understand. Art often defies this idea in building a framework of information around an image by placing it within a context (such as a gallery) that activates the viewer’s metacognition or thought awareness. I believe something grows in artistic value to the viewer as he/she becomes aware of his/her own psychology (by meta-cognition) and emotional sensitivities. Although awareness in any sense cannot be forced upon a person, gallery goers commonly recognize that an artist only contributes his/her insights in part to a conversation with which they themselves are engaged. In her article “Art: An Occupation With Promise for Developing Empathy” doctor Suzanne M. Peloquin contends that, like music and literature, visual art has the power to engender empathy by eliciting actions which she argues resemble those of an empathic process. Furthermore, Peloquin suggests that through applications of “visual thinking”, and the use of metaphor, art arouses the emotional sensibilities that are imperative to empathic human connections (Peloquin). Taking the conversation further might mean clarifying popular demarcations of empathy as a psychosomatic condition to that of a biological response that differentiates from previous ideas of subjective self-projection. 15 Author of The Empathic Civilization scientist Jeremy Rifkin recounts a study conducted in the mid nineties in a small lab in Parma Italy that resulted in the discovery of what are now known as Mirror Neurons; the conductors in the brain that make empathy possible. The discovery, which took place with an MRI, showed that identical neurons in the brains of two people would simultaneously ‘light-up’ when just one of them underwent a particular action. Culminating results, in what is now ongoing research concerning mirror-neurons and their biologic purpose, have striking implications (Rifkin). Although constant appeals to hyperreality, and communication in the form of social media may delude our personal and cultural understanding of the ‘real’ and stifle development of empathic skills, philosophical ideas that emotional interpretations are solipsistic and therefore arbitrary are now being challenged by science. Differentiated from the neural-chemical effects of interacting with the hyperreal, mirror-neurons activate when one human being empathizes with another’s plight in recognition of their mutual humanity. Rifkin states that studies have concluded that all human beings are “soft-wired” to feel one another’s experiences with simple observation via the activation of mirror neurons, meaning that we can quite literally share the same neural-cognitive experiences. Although the research is on going and much relies on an individual’s past experiences and personal awareness to activate mirror-neurons, this new information is significant to the artist by inferring a challenge to widely upheld beliefs that all viewer interaction with humanistic themes in art is entirely subjective. 16 CONCLUSION Our realities exist within a matrix of experiential and media influences. Many of these influences are part of a hyperrealistic form of simulation that typifies an idealized reality that does not exist in the external world. Such influences weave a tapestry of delusion so idealized and appealing that we may culturally lose touch with what is actually going on around us. Highlighting this disconnection was the motivating force behind “Solitude in Tandem”. The development of empathic abilities is essential to our civil development and to achieving awareness of our mutual humanity beyond the limitations of idealism. Art as an expression of humanistic themes engenders empathy and can promote awareness of one’s own thought process and emotional sensibilities. In the end we see that the paradox of art and empathy is this; the exploration and questioning of our reality and world through the arts is essential to the connective language of human emotion craved by an increasingly starved society. Conversely, the vocabulary of that connective language of empathy has and will likely always be one on which art remains dependent. 17 BIBLIOGRAPHY Baudrillard, Jean. "The Precession of Simulacra." in: Joseph Natoli and Linda Hutcheon (Editors). A Postmodern Reader. State University of New York Press. Albany, 1993 Popkin Helen A.S. (2012, Dec 4) We Spent 230,060 Years on Social Media in One Month. cnbc.com. Retrieved Nov 11, 2013 Turkle, S. (2011). Alone together: why we expect more from technology and less from each other. New York: Basic Books Peloquin, S. M. Art: An Occupation With Promise for Developing Empathy. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 50, 655-661. Rifkin, J. (2009). The empathic civilization: the race to global consciousness in a world in crisis. New York: J.P. Tarcher/Penguin. 18 “Introspect #2” fig.4 19 “Introspect #3” fig.5 20 “Introspect #4” fig.6 21 “Introspect #5” fig.7 22 “BeneathME: Confessions” fig.8 23 “BeneathME: Heart to Heart” fig.9 24 “BeneathME: The Mirror” fig.10 25 “BeneathME: Pacify” fig.11 26 “BeneathME: Bon-Appetit” fig.12 27 “BeneathME: Ex Flammis Resurge” fig.13 28 “Chris” fig.14 29 “Fidelity” fig.15 30 “Concerning Hope” fig.16 31 “Premeditated” fig.17 32 “Abdication of the Perennials” fig.18 33 “The Two of Us” fig.19 34 “Filling Spaces” fig.20 35 “A Subtle Reformation #1” fig.21 36 “A Subtle Reformation #2” fig.22 37 “A Subtle Reformation #3” fig.23 38 “ChickenShit” fig.24 39 “Now & Them #1” fig.25 40 “Now & Them #2” fig.26 41 “Adults Only” fig.27