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Volume CXXXII, Number 15 |
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Focusing a lens on people, life, chaos
GREG T. SPIELBERG
ORIENT STAFF
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| Hanging in the basement of Kresge are the photographs of Micah Roberge '03, Abbie Klein '03, and Evan Matzen '03. Though the students could not agree on a title, the show succeeds in captivating viewers. (Karsten Moran, Bowdoin Orient) |
Kresge is once again home to an eclectic art show. Three Bowdoin seniors came together to produce the semester's second display which opened on Thursday, February 6. Despite having no collective title or ideal, Abbie Klein, Evan Matzen, and Micah Roberge assembled an exhibit in which each individual's work played off the others'.
After being unable to find an all-encompassing title that captured all three bodies of work, the group settled on separate ones. Klein's "Portraits," Matzen's "Mean Aestheticism," and Roberge's "Chaos" demonstrate that Bowdoin's non-art majors can produce a visually pleasing and intellectually stimulating presentation.
Matzen, the most experienced photographer of the three, has experimented with the medium since he was a child, he later worked at a one-hour photo shop for a year. Roberge and Klein had never attempted creative photography until their sophomore years of college. "I had started to get interested in using photography in a more artistic manner in high school but hadn't really pursued it," said Klein.
Roberge's "Chaos" is a collection of silver gellatin black and white prints which lead the viewer through a visual tour of perceived randomness. "One thing I was trying to do is suggest through the things I found a chaotic or seemingly random system that you can look at on an individual basis," said Roberge. A series of black coffee cups contrast highly with the gray background and the steam emitting from each cylinder. The swirls themselves create a hypnotic effect, captured consecutively through only a few ticks on a watch's second hand. Holding true to its title, the prints display a random series which nonetheless never fail to adhere to its expected shape.
Among Roberge's five series is "Order," an ironically aware set of prints. The photographer reveals the seemingly 'chaotic' nature of the center of a sunflower with two close shots of the plant. However, he notes the strictly formatted nature of the center's growth: a planned sequence known as the Fibonacci Sequence. Roberge aptly titles one piece, "0,1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21."
The photos of Abbie Klein reveal an artist interested in not only the final product but the process itself. What started out as a personal challenge has manifested itself into a minimalist yet inventive presentation. "I was afraid to walk up to people and ask if I could take their picture. I was testing my own limits about what I was comfortable with in terms of photography," she said. Klein, who keeps a running list of faces that she finds interesting or engaging displayed 14 portraits of equal size and contrast. All in black and white, (Bowdoin does not have the means for color development) the images were taken in the McClellan studio in front of a drape of white fabric. In the pupil of each subject is a reflection of Klein and her camera-a reminder of each work's construction.
Like Noah Lambie '03 and Cecily Upton's '03 "White Trash" exhibit, Klein takes inherently invaluable test strips of film from her portraits, tying them together to form four visually pleasing pieces.
"I got very interested in the editing process that occurs in photography. Test strips I think are really beautiful in their own way so I wanted to deal with the issues of editing but also the beauty of these things that a lot of the time just get thrown out."
Unlike his partners, Matzen takes a more inconspicious approach with his camera. His "Mean Aestheticism" aims to study life, not in the social, political or cultural aspects, but instead life in general-the combination of colors, distinct characters of people, geometric shapes of objects. Matzen, who spent 17 weeks in Vietnam and two in Japan had taken the photos for himself but hoped to get a show either at Bowdoin or another venue. "I was especially excited to get a spot because I'm not a studio arts major," he said.
Matzen's ten color photographs study life in Vietnam through the invisible eye of the photographer. His shots depict a culture void of modern technological means but invested in the life of its work animals. In one shot a boy hugs the neck of a soft brown cow; in another, a Vietnamese child sits atop an ox while his country's flag flies in the background. "I was really taken by the people there and how they fit into their surroundings." Contrasting sharply with the black and white prints of "Chaos" and "Portraits," Matzen's vivid images couple intimate street portraits with wide open spaces such as "Gulf of Tonkin" in which the green water almost overwhelms the viewer.
Yet again Kresge lays claim to a collection of photographs by talented artists, even if they're not Visual Arts majors. By testing the boundaries of their medium, these artists achieve beautiful prints with their dedication and strength of vision.
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