Transactions

MFA Thesis Project

University at Buffalo Visual Studies department

2012

Transactions is an exploration of the hidden forms and traces we leave behind through our existence and interactions with each other and the world around us. The work in this series is a visualization of the spatio-temporal forms created by our actions over time. By taking successive frames of video and virtually arranging them into a three dimensional form, one can visualize the forms that a body in motion makes over time. This technique was inspired by the Futurist concept of Dynamism, specifically the paintings of Giacomo Balla and Umberto Boccioni. Early photographic techniques such as chronophotography and slit-scan photography are both examples of using technology to uncover hidden truths about the subject. Similarly, the technique created for Transactions is a direct analog of the physical phenomena being captured. In creating these works my aim was to reveal the physical structure of various interactions between people, and determine the relationship, if any, between the visual structure of an action and its linguistic or semantic meaning.

The Transactions exhibition was held at Buffalo Arts Studio, April 7th - May 26th 2012. The exhibition included six large format digital prints (Bow, Cartwheels, Catch, Fight, Handshake, and Swing Yer Partner), a laser-cut acrylic sculpture (Embrace), the two Sculptures With Time, and a video projection which alternated between the HD Video Dynamism of a Dog in a Wheelchair and the interactive piece Chronoscape.

The Transactions prints and Dynamism of a Dog in a Wheelchair have since been exhibited at the 2017 Lishui Photography Festival.