Using the prompt symmetry, I drafted an idea to find uniqueness in sameness. I sought everyday, symmetrical spaces in hopes of proving character exists in monotony. My search ended when I discovered my living space provided the ideal subject.
Residence halls are boxes that contain hundreds of cell-like spaces, each casted from a parent mold. The dorm experience enables residents to reconstruct an empty, symmetrical space by filling the off-white walls and blank spaces with personal belongings. Every room holds individual possessions, making an ordinary space unique. Hundreds of students living on campus reside in one, giant shell.
North, East, South, and West Quad are divided into compartments, forcing strangers to co-habitate with each other. Roommates partition the room to create a functional living space that best reflects their personality and lifestyle. Subjecting oneself to living in a shared space, where private becomes public, is uninviting. Thanks to the residents who opened their doors to my camera and me, I documented a small portion of the mass material contained within the Quads. Occasionally there is a repeated object, like a shiny Happy Birthday banner, but there’s a dominant contrast of homogenous boxes-seemingly identical- and the process of differentiation, which is brought about through the introduction of student’s personal belongings, both from home as well as the standard college supply store.
The format of the quad camera mimics the fixed structure of the dorms. The print is symmetrical, however each frame is unique. Each print contains four images that best represent the photographed room owners. The uniqueness of each photograph is enhanced by the snapshot aesthetic, which guarantees an original shot with each advancement of the shutter. Toy cameras, which are boxy themselves, are fun to experiment with. They provide a beautiful quality to the print and incorporate an element of surprise, a common theme of dorm living. Never knowing what you may find within the dorms, The Quad Project consists of familiar and estranging images that uncover dorm culture. The project fuses bright colors and faded tones. The repeated pattern reflects the continuous recirculation of tenants and belongings within the building. Unlike the spaces, the images are static and frozen in time.
The original goal of The Quad Project was to understand the word symmetrical in an unexpected way, to showcase differentiation in regularity, but the medium of photography preserved the essence of the dorms and the individuals it houses. In creating The Quad Project, I hope to keep the spaces and memories each room holds alive. Symmetry can be viewed from multiple perspectives; however, symmetry looked through a personal lens captures balanced proportions, a state of invariance, and the property of sameness in a new light.
*The Final Project is printed on 4 x 4ft poster paper (I plan to hang it in my dorm room next year appropriately enough). Check out The Quad Project and dozens more final CP projects in person at the Creative Process Exhibition, Monday April 25th from 5-7pm, at the School of Art and Design.
