What is your senior thesis?
I was eight years old when my father was diagnosed with cancer, and eleven when he died. Because of this loss, I began hoarding his belongings in order to hold on to him. I believed that if I let go of the objects, I let go of him. Because his death was so traumatizing, and I was so young, I have little memory of his actual existence in my life. This allowed me to create a romanticized idea of his life. For this project, I want to photograph his belongings and his lack of existence in my life: photographing the absence of family with the replacement of decay and his possessions.
For my senior thesis, I want to create environments where his things entrap me, or follow me around. I want to create landscapes of abandonment and loneliness, and also create photographs depicting my moving forward and letting go of guilt.
What motivated you to start this project? What inspires your creative process?
After over thirteen years of therapy, and art therapy. I felt that this was the time in my life to begin this project. I felt that this year, being my last year of school, is a huge transitional period. In order for me to move on emotionally, and by using my photography I could let go of the parts of my past that are holding me back.
Do you work in film or digital? Please describe any technique or process relevant to your project.
I am a traditionalist. I only work with film and print my photographs myself in the darkroom. Being in the darkroom is a huge part of the process. To be able to see the work appear before my eyes in the darkroom is magical, and to really use my hands instead of a computer screen and printer allows me to feel more intimate with my work. I’m in the process of figuring out a good chemical combination to coat paper with silver gelatin paper. This way, I can continue working for the rest of my life without the need for a computer!
Is this a new project or a continuation of previous work?
It’s a bit of both. I feel that my previous work has always had these themes of quiet, voyeuristic, personal and isolating moments. This project is a collection of new ideas though that I have not explored yet.
What artists or works of art have inspired or influenced you?
For this project I’ve been looking at a lot of Roy DeCarava work. Not so much for content but for his printing style. He is one of my favorite photographers and I just love photographs where shadows are very dark. This project really allows me to go in that direction. My favorite artists over all consists of many, but specifically Imogen Cunningham, Sarah Moon, Mark Cohen, Debbie Fleming Caffery, Roger Ballen, Ralph Eugene Meatyard, Mary Ellen Mark, Sally Mann, Ralph Gibson, Elliot Erwitt, Anne Birgman, Emmet Gowin, Sebastião Salgado, and so on! I’m a bit obsessed with photography. If I could not be a photographer myself, I would have to work somehow with photography and photographers. So I am constantly reading, looking, and learning from photographers of all kinds.
What is the ideal setting to view your work? Do you picture your photographs in a book? In a gallery?
I am open to different ways of my work being presented. Whether in a book, gallery or an instillation, I want viewers to be engaged in the work. Although my work tends to be personal, I want viewers to be able to place themselves in the work.
Do you have any ideas or plans for future work?
I am constantly shooting, and I have a notebook filled with ideas that I want to work on once I am not in a school environment where it is assignment based. I have lots of ideas regarding nature overpowering man-made landscapes. As if no matter what man creates, nature will defeat it. I am interested in traveling to the South where plants grow and grow to the point of covering industrial landscapes.
What do you see yourself doing after graduation?
When I am finished with classes in May, I am moving to Portland, Oregon. Portland has a wonderful up and coming art scene that I am really interested in being a part of. I want to work a job that just pays the rent and then just be able to focus on my work. I’ve lived in Boston all of my life, I lived New York City for a few years, and now I want to travel more and be a part of artist communities out West and in other parts of the world. I want to eventually work with other traditional photographers to open up community darkrooms all over. Eventually I would like to go to Grad school but that won’t be for a while!
You can check out Ariel's website at www.arielkessler.com
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