We went to UOP for a field trip last week to see their senior’s final projects, and also the gallery. A few years ago they decided to scrap their black and white process and go to all digital. I personally think that people who take photography and don’t start out with black and white in the dark room are actually missing out on a very important step to photography. I may be bias. I have taken all the black and white classes available, and I also run the black and white lab at the college for the night class. I think that when you have your hands dirty, and you physically have to ‘make’ your picture and put all the work into that you have a greater appreciation for the art.
My favorite part of the field trip was Yolanda E. Cunningham’s work “Atonement: The Manifestation”. It is her personal journey with drug addiction, abuse, and the affects it has on our children. The strongest part of her work was the ten foot crack pipe made out of inflatable plastic. Inside the crack pipe was a ceramic skeleton smoking crack through his own pipe. On the outside of the pipe were three statues, herself, her son, and her husband all in fetal positions, dying. The giant crack pipe is a big eye opener for the gallery, you cannot help but be intrigued and interested in its meaning. It all came together with a flick of a switch and the giant crack pipe filled with smoke and swirled around the lifeless body inside.
