Parallaxis

Author

Carl Ray Wilson, Utah State University

Date of Award

5-2012

Degree Type

Creative Project

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Department

Art and Design

Committee

Not specified

Abstract

Parallaxis first began with an observation in my hometown. At nighttime, like a moth attracted to a flame, I would notice empty buildings that were closed or never opened for various reasons and relate them to my own inner vacancy. Seeing the lights on in these empty places motivated my curiosity and kept me studiously coming back.

I continued my exploration of empty buildings in Utah. Taking note of how capturing reflections transformed my images from documentary photography to internal forms of expression. It was at this time that reflections became the driving force within my image making. I became enthralled with the idea of reflection because it gave a new element to my photographs -- through the use of threshold, objects exist simultaneously, and the inside and outside world combine into one of their own reality. Lines blurred, and objects typically identifiable turn into a simulation of imagination, a (parallaxis).

“At our best and most fortunate we make pictures because of what stands before our camera, to honor what is greater and more interesting than we are. We never accomplish this perfectly, though in return we are given something perfect -- a sense of inclusion. Our subject thus redefines us, and is part of the biography by which we want to be known.”

—Photographer, Robert Adams

Comments

This work made publicly available electronically on May 3, 2012.

Recommended Citation

Wilson, Carl Ray, "Parallaxis" (2012). All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023. 115.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/gradreports/115