Bryan Martello

What is your senior thesis?

My work is trying to describe a time and place, the late hours of night when things seem different. I am interested in the ineffable and the intangible. More than just a time and place, this work is about a state of mind associated with the evening.

What motivated you to start this project? What inspires your creative process?

My previous work was less structured and less specific to a particular time of day. I really wanted to find a way to focus on one aspect, and I realized that it is innate for me to photograph at night.

Do you work in film or digital? Please describe any technique or process relevant to your project.

I shoot 4x5 color film, and then scan/edit/print them digitally.

Is this a new project or a continuation of previous work?

This work is definitely rooted in and inspired by my previous work, but it is its own project.

How has your work developed or changed over time?

I think my work has become more structured and self-reflective. It has also embraced time and place; my previous work was much more vague.

What artists or works of art have inspired or influenced you?

I'm really inspired by Francis Alys, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Rinko Kawauchi, Gabriel Orozco, Andrew Wyeth, and Kiki Smith. I also take a lot of influence from film and video, especially David Lynch films.

What kind of response do you hope to get from your viewers? Is there a certain experience you want people to take away from your photographs?

My favorite part of art is when people bring their own references to their interpretations. I love hearing how different one person's interpretation of a piece can be from another's. I would like it for the viewer to at least get some overall sense of the bigger themes I am presenting, but really any personal experience with the work I think is important.

What is the ideal setting to view your work? Do you picture your photographs in a book? In a gallery?

The most ideal setting for my work is a gallery. I am very particular in the way I choose to install my work. I like books, but I don't like the linear constraints they have on my work.

Do you have any ideas or plans for future work?

I hope to work on this project for a while. I am interested in maybe incorporating video into the process, so I'd like to see where that will take this work.

What do you see yourself doing after graduation?

I plan on moving to New York City in the fall. I want to apply for as many things as I come across and see what happens. I think I have alot to figure out. I want to use these next few years as time to be experimental and open with my art.