momento/perception

While at NOMA I visited a black and white photography exhibition entitled Residents & Visitors and I though it tied in with perception dealing with the movie Memento. It was a broad documentation of locale and focused on examination of perceived culture in Louisiana during the twentieth century. The exhibit allows the viewer to uncover a mysteriously luring element of nostalgia located in the photographs, among the range of tones; aiding this element is the uncanny effect of the overall display, consisting of the work of Native photographers alongside visiting ones. The photos mostly take place on a local level, case by case basis, thus the exhibition resonated immediately with me. I found it to be one of a kind, a fully operative piece of the past informing the viewer of an otherwise familiar place in time, of something he/she cannot know, but can experience in their own way. You see, this type of experience, that was designed with the combined effort and skill of fellow photographers, not only showcases the effective power of refine printing skills but emphasizes the power of perception. Have you ever tried to imagine early parts of the twentieth century in color? Most people are unable to do this since they have not seen it with there own eyes, the only thing they have, to go off of, is images shown to them. Moving or still, images of the early 1900’s we see today were mainly introduced by Hollywood and are in black and white. Trying to imagine 1952 in color, thus becomes virtually impossible to today’s youth. However, this effect in coordination with the emphasis on perception forced me to acknowledge, as well as, to appreciate its power in relation to reality, as a manipulation of reality. Beyond the filial relationship between the subjects in the photos, in this context, as a Resident or Visitor the photographers maintain an experiential relationship with the subject and each other. While examining these portraits collectively, they become even more mysterious. The comparison of the artist renderings and interpretations becomes unavoidable; and thus compels you to further ponder the culture and how it is encompassed in each rendering; also consider the significance of the symbolic nature between, the native human subjects among each other and the significance of the things their being depicted among seemingly become extensions of themselves as you further investigate the frame. , could it be the cleverness of the photographer, or were these people as intriguing that they seem existing in such a defined state of culture that was inescapable of the eye. Mysterious.