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LouPop Collection

Posted on May 19, 2012

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Editor’s Note: To learn more about the life and times of LouPop and the collection of vernacular photography, go to the search bar at the top of the page: enter name and click the green icon.
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Photo: Courtesy of The Estate of Anthony Colagreco.

LouPop Collection

Posted on May 15, 2012

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LouPop Collection

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LouPop Collection

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LouPop Collection

Editor’s Note: To learn more about the life and times of LouPop and the collection of vernacular photography, go to the search bar at the top of the page: enter name and click the green icon.

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Photos: Courtesy of The Estate of Anthony Colagreco

Barlow Holley

Posted on May 12, 2012 by Barlow Holley

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……….I despise imposing my own subjective idea of this photographic message upon you the viewer and wish to leave its meaning as open-ended as possible. That being said, one could reasonably say that this image is of a more humorous rather than serious nature in comparison to some of the other exhibits in The Philo Project series. To me, this picture hints at a variety of themes: a parody of the concept of “erotic art” through the absurd juxtaposition of a formal space and stodgy musical instrument with near complete nudity, a glimpse of the sitter with see-through vision, or merely the whimsical appreciation of the human form in the position of musical performance. Is erotic art a nominal practice more than other genres of art, does erotic art require reference to physical acts or parts to be erotic, what is erotic art’s place in the hierarchy of artistic content, assuming that such an ordering exists? These are just a handful of my personal musings.

To Be Continued……….

Love

Posted on May 10, 2012 BY A.H. Scott

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……….It’s ironic that some of those who are most vocal against same sex marriage are those who have dinosaur bones in their own closets. Archbishop Timothy Dolan, here in NYC, said that ‘it’s a sad day for the children’. WTF?!!!! Now, I know I’m probably going to feel a little pitchfork in my butt for saying that. But, c’mon, Catholic Church. You above all other institutions want to talk about sin. Look inward instead of outward for what sin truly is. And, then there’s Mitt Romney who says “I believe marriage is between one man and one woman”. And, when I heard him say that, I was waiting for him to add ..”I believe marriage is between one man and one woman….and one woman….and another woman. WTF? That’s the history of Romney’s own ancestors of multiple wives. And, of course, Newt (Mr. Married Again and Again) Gingrich. And, all the other hypocrites down the line speak morality for themselves only. So, those who have all these rights already (and never have to enter a court to validate them) are always bitchin and moanin about the destruction of the institution of marriage, if gay men and lesbian woman get married would live by the words they love to always spout; show some Christian compassion and brotherhood and – LET LOVE RULE..!!”

Copyright 2012

About The Author: Editor’s Note: To read more of A.H. Scott, go to the search bar at the top of the page: enter name and click green icon.

Christopher

Posted on April 6, 2012 by Madeleine Shiff

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For this series of portraits, I was influenced both by Diane Arbus’s photographs of so-called “deviant or marginal” individuals, as well as Nan Goldin’s candid style of photography. I admire both of their photographic styles for their abilities to create photographs that are blunt and honest. They also both raise questions about a photograph’s ability to reveal hidden truths.

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Christoper

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My series depicts a man getting ready for a night out, and in the process of transforming himself into a woman. Each photograph is a different step in the process and conveys him methodically putting on makeup and changing his clothes until the transition is complete.

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I chose to explore the boundaries of gender and sexuality through my series. In the process, however, I also learned about the boundaries of photography. Diane Arbus’s work is controversial both for the starkness with which she depicts individuals’ defects, and for the questions it raises about a photographer’s potential exploitation of his or her subjects. My friend Christopher, the subject of this series, has never before dressed in drag. This raises questions about the authenticity of the photographs. Is it enough that Christopher was eager to explore a side of himself that he had always been curious about, or must a photograph always depict reality for it to be credible? Does Christopher’s background really matter? Christopher explained to me that as a gay man he is far more open to exploring his sexuality and femininity than a heterosexual man. His point lends itself to questions about the very nature of the society in which we live. If individuals are born with a range of sexual orientations than why does society impose restrictions in which one must adhere to one of two categories completely. Contemporary debates in American society regarding gay rights, address the core of these questions of societal restrictions on gender identities. I became interested in these issues when I moved to America two years ago. I am Canadian and unlike the United States, gay marriage has been legal in Canada since 2005. Although Canada is by no means perfect, it has provided equal rights for those considered by other countries to be “marginal or deviant.” Nevertheless, it is likely that sexual orientation and gender roles will continue to be explored and debated in both Canada and the United States for the foreseeable future.

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Christopher

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With regards to the question of the authenticity of these images, one might argue that my photographs are inauthentic because Christopher is not a “real” drag queen. However, I do not believe that any photograph can truly be “authentic.” Every photograph demonstrates either the subject or the photographer wishing to portray himself or herself in a certain way. The power of photography to distort reality yet also reveal hidden truths about its subjects is a concept that I find particularly interesting and have explored throughout all of my photography assignments this semester. As Diane Arbus once said, “A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know.”

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Christopher

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Christoper

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Madeleine Shiff: Self-Portrait 2012

About The Author: Madeleine Shiff is enrolled in the College of the University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2013.

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Editor’s Note: To access additional articles by Madeleine Shiff, go to the search bar at the top of the page: enter name and click green icon.

Jennifer Cole

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Jennifer Cole

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MOVING ON

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……….Here is something I think everyone ought to know: Sometimes in order to get anything done, or maybe just progress to the next step in life, you need to have your heart broken. The emotional devastation caused by heartbreak – forces us to exist at an emotional bottom so low that there arises only 2 options: 1. We Die, or 2. Climb out of the hellhole we have found ourselves in.

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This dilemma is actually a good thing. It is not only the state of misery that teaches us so much, but it is also important to understand the journey and the reason for the misery (when we thought we were happy), where we must realize, acknowledge, and accept the truth of the situation in it’s entirety. Upon acceptance, there is no turning back. More importantly, opportunity is now so obviously in the forefront, that wallowing simply isn’t an option, nor do I feel the need to even pretend it’s an option anymore (turning back, that is).

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Editor’s Note: To see more pictures of Jennifer Cole, go to the search bar at the top of the page: type in name and click the green icon.

TWS

Editor’s Note: To see more pictures of TW’s brief encounter with Latisha, go to the search bar at the top of the page: type in Latisha and click the green icon.

TWS

Copyright 2012

Jennie

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Jennie Shapira

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MISPLACEMENT

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……….For me, eroticism tickles the uncomfortable; it’s the delicate play of contrasting themes, acting perversely to make the viewer experience the combative feelings of ease and unease. It’s the product of a dichotomy between overt sexuality and something that both pushes you back and draws you in. What defines erotic as erotic is precisely this interaction. The concept of seeing only enough to force you to fill in the rest plays strongly with my views of eroticism, allowing a not-fully nude image to sometimes be more sexually driven than one where everything is purely raw.

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Jennie

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As a deeper conversation with the viewer, the creation of a scene which beckons for an accompanying narrative causes the interaction to deepen. In the end, it doesn’t matter if the story is the same as the stories imagined by all the others, nor the story imagined by the subject at the time of creation, as long as it is one that spawns a desire to know the character and know how the depicted situation managed to occur.

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Jennie

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In order to embody these themes and appropriately have them relate to the ‘philo’ environment located at UPenn’s College Hall, I imagined one half of the dynamic play to involve the concept of purity and intellectual soundness. The Philomathean Halls are gilded with knowledge, so a fair counter would be one that’s slightly disturbing and somewhat scandalous, which would eject itself from the ‘ivy-bubble’ as much as possible. To show eroticism, I plan to pose myself in an uncomfortable, tied-up fashion, as if just left in this building, for non-specific torture to ensue. Such would invoke much internal conversation, a discomfort with the image, and a great contrast with the neat, orderly, olden feel of the library.

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Jennie

To Be Continued………..