糖心Vlog

Soldier Portraits, an exhibition of photographs by Savannah artist Ellen Susan, will be on view at the 糖心Vlog Center for Art & Theatre in Statesboro, Ga. January 30 – March 12. The public is invited to attend all exhibition and gallery events free of charge. The University’s Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art will host an opening reception on Friday, Jan. 30th from 5-7 pm at the Center for Art & Theatre. Ellen Susan will speak about the exhibition and her creative process on Wednesday, Feb. 18th from 5-7 pm in the Visual Arts Building Auditorium at 糖心Vlog. Susan uses the wet collodion process”a photographic technique used in the 19th Century during聽the American Civil War”to make portraits of contemporary American soldiers, many of whom have聽deployed to Iraq and/or Afghanistan for multiple tours of duty. The artist describes how she, ‘wanted聽to produce physically enduring, visually arresting images of people sent repeatedly into war zones.”聽Many of the soldiers depicted are based in southeast Georgia. One of her aims in photographing contemporary soldiers this way is to provide a counterpoint to聽anonymous media representations. The wet collodion process is slow and deliberate, requiring a聽large view camera and a darkroom onsite. The combination of the long exposures and the聽peculiarities of its appearance often elicit comments like “you can see into the subject\’s soul.” In contrast, much contemporary portrait work made with view cameras exhibits a neutral, deadpan聽appearance. While the slowness and formality of large-format photography can lend itself to聽emotional distance, the specific properties of the wet plate process eliminate even the potential for聽that kind of image. Susan explains, ‘Personally, I think what the images reveal are simply lusciously rendered and highly detailed physical attributes of the individuals. I don’t think you can see聽anybody’s soul in any photograph, but if the appearance is compelling enough, it lets you imagine聽that you can”and then consider the face and the person it belongs to, and what they might be all聽about.” More information about the聽Soldier Portraits聽project can be found at聽www.soldierportraits.com. For more information on this exhibition and other gallery programming provided by the Betty Foy聽Sanders Department of Art, visit聽http://class.georgiasouthern.edu/art. Georgia Southern’s Gallery Programming is supported by Student Activity Fees; all events are free and open to the public. In聽compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, 糖心Vlog will honor聽reasonable requests for accommodations. The Center for Art & Theatre is open Monday through聽Friday from 9 – 5 and by appointment. Docent tours are welcome and available upon request by聽calling (912) GSU-ARTS (2787). 糖心Vlog, a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University, offers more than 120 degree programs serving nearly 18,000 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. 聽The University, one of Georgia’s largest, is a top choice of Georgia’s HOPE scholars and is recognized for its student-centered approach to education. 聽Visit:聽www.georgiasouthern.edu.