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Project 3 Statement

My Toyota plays the role of both an object and a location, because it exists as something that can be moved and sort of manipulated, but is also a space of itself that can be lived in. The car was given to me by a close family-friend, whom was my mother’s best friend. The woman who generously passed it down to me—a needy teenager, at the time—passed away from a medical procedure failure. Everyone who was touched by her has some sort of special memory of or with her, and this car that I have is just one of the many memories from her that I am blessed to possess. I adore the size, color, brand, and reliability of the vehicle, and have made great use of it for the past 3 years or so. It has taken me safely to a variety of neighboring states. I took it to New Mexico to a regional saxophone conference, where I stayed with a friend and his wonderful parents. I drove it 11 hours to northwest Texas to see someone I once loved for a very short visit, after being apart for 8 months. I take it to Riverside, California every 2-3 months to visit my boyfriend, and many of these times, I sleep in the flattened backseat/trunk quite comfortably. Currently, my sister and I share the Toyota, and use it to get home to our parents in Phoenix, to my work, or to our respective boyfriends’ houses in Tucson and Cali. We have decorated the bumper and trunk with stickers express our mutual and separate interests. The car is a special place that I have many memories in, both peaceful and heartbreaking.

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Project 2 Statement

           To me, a utopia is an objectively beautiful place or scene. I don’t think a utopian environment or building or scene has to be completely flawless and precisely arranged, because I think that in some ways, that can lead to an artificial aesthetic that can be almost dystopian. My project represents the utopia found in nature, city life, and in relaxation. There are many features of a city or busy place that can be beautiful and bring a utopian feel to a scene, such as detailed landscaping along a city street, a flower planter, or a public space that requires interaction or stands as an art piece. I photographed some elements like these because I feel they are sometimes underappreciated or unnoticed, and they bring a slice of paradise to an otherwise urban scene. The little pockets of utopia I photographed were located on a university campus and in the center of downtown Tucson. The flowers bring an otherworldly splash of color to the front area of a generic New York Life building. The oversized chess set is located in a park-like space made for human interaction and relaxation, in the midst of the skyscrapers and structures of American working life in the city. Overall, I intended to capture the utopian warmth found in everyday life.

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           My first proposal for The Specificity of Place is to photograph the corner area of Park Avenue and University Boulevard. I along Park and make a right on University several times every week, whether I’m biking to Tyndall garage for my car, or walking to the Scented Leaf for a few hours of blissful studying. I am in love with the atmosphere of this area of Tucson. The walk is short and always interesting to look around during. The first detail is the patio of Caffe Luce, surrounded beside a little alley and somewhat shaded by alcove of a few small trees. The highlight of the area is a restaurant called The Dutch, settled right on the corner. A slim patio parallels the huge glass windows, dotted with intimae tables that are usually each decorated with a burning candle. Looking down a little ways, more blue and red-lit trees light the sidewalk, and awnings condense the walkway into a cozier path that passes each small business. This scope will be my focus, particularly the corner. I want to get a panoramic view of the ever-changing scene, so I plan to photograph both sidewalks on either side of the corner they intersect at. I may shoot this scene at night, for the sake of it being far too busy/dangerous of an area around traffic in the daytime.

           My second proposal is to photograph my sister. I liked the idea of people photographing a single person during a one-on-one interaction, like a lunch date or something. My sister Karina is probably the female in my life that I am closest to, and even though we may disagree on many topics, we are best friends and have almost always understood each other. Karina graduated high school a year early, so I have the pleasure of going to the University with her. She lives in a dorm like I do, and we plan to share it together next year. I want to photograph her sitting casually on her bed, as if we are having a conversation. The lighting in her room is very ideal, with 3 large windows to provide it. Karina prides herself on the tapestries and light strands she has hung up everywhere, and they make a nice background for the shots, since her bed set and walls are white. I think the images will be illusory to the viewer in the sense that they will not be able to tell that the space is a standard college dorm, and will rather see it as a nice studio apartment. I want to capture the motions and expressions of Karina as she talks and laughs, and I want to make it as naturalistic as possible. Her simple clothing and makeup tendencies will contribute a genuine vibe.

           My third proposition is to photograph my car. My Toyota plays the role of both an object and a location, because it exists as something that can be moved and sort of manipulated, but is also a space of itself that can be lived in. The car was given to me by a close family-friend, whom was my mother’s best friend. The woman who generously passed it down to me—a needy teenager, at the time—passed away from a medical procedure failure. Everyone who was touched by her has some sort of special memory of or with her, and this car that I have is just one of the many memories from her that I am blessed to possess. I adore the size, color, brand, and reliability of the vehicle, and have made great use of it for the past 3 years or so. It has taken me safely to a variety of neighboring states. I took it to New Mexico to a regional saxophone conference, where I stayed with a friend and his wonderful parents. I drove it 11 hours to northwest Texas to see someone I once loved for a very short visit, after being apart for 8 months. I take it to Riverside, California every 2-3 months to visit my boyfriend, and many of these times, I sleep in the flattened backseat/trunk quite comfortably. Currently, my sister and I share the Toyota, and use it to get home to our parents in Phoenix, to my work, or to our respective boyfriends’ houses in Tucson and Cali. We have decorated the bumper and trunk with stickers express our mutual and separate interests. The car is a special place that I have many memories in, both peaceful and heartbreaking. For the collage, I want to park my car on the top level of the garage so I can get the most space and light. I want to photograph it from multiple angles, getting a sort of weird panorama, but also focusing on the back and taillights specifically, so as to highlight the stickers. I want to produce some interesting effects by layering images of, for instance, the taillights being on and also off, and the back hatch being open and closed.

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