Week 3

     

Anna Krachey: "Mattress" 

Post Written by Hannah Zimmerman

     For my third blog post I am interested in writing about photographer, Anna Krachey, another one of my three mentors. Anna Krachey is an Austin-based artist who photographs domestic and common objects by setting up still-life setups. Anna is able to show the unexpected beauty or aesthetic of these objects by the way she photographs them. Anna Krachey’s photographs inspire my own work because I too have an interest in the everyday object and how I can change the function or meaning it gives. Within my sculptures, I strive to alter the narrative of objects, function of objects and how we view these objects by altering their appearance or way in which people view them altogether. Additionally, I pair a video element to further add questions or meaning to my pieces. I aim to comment on everyday human vulnerabilities or psychological challenges through these pieces. My goal this semester is to discover my own way of doing this within the context of photography. So, a mentor like Anna Krachey is a good inspiration.

     This week I chose to write about Anna’s photograph titled “Mattress”. While this photograph is a fairly minimalistic picture of what appears to be a turquoise colored mattress, the way Anna set up soft lighting to illustrate the color tones strengthened the photograph. Also, by angling the circular mattress pattern, it helped create a more interesting composition that allows the viewers eye to spend more time observing the mattress. By doing this, I feel that Anna causes the viewer to look at the picture longer and begin observing why this mattress might be interesting or what its backstory might be. Also, by keeping a tighter composition and only photographing part of the mattress, it causes me to think about who may own it or whom has owned it. The close composition adds to the more personal feel of the photograph. I feel that not only does Anna add interest to a mundane object, but she creates the possibility of the viewer adding a narrative or even their own personal experiences to similar objects. Additionally, this causes the viewer to think about WHY they are thinking about their own personal experiences with similar things.

     Also, because of the clean and simplified aesthetic of this photograph it helps to inspire me when photographing this week under the modernist movement. This movement contains these characteristics and other elements seen in this picture. 

Her photograph can be seen on her website: http://www.annakrachey.com/ 

My photograph of the week: