thedrifter
03-04-07, 07:09 AM
My hometown: Philadelphia
Photographer Zoe Strauss visits Millersville
By KELLY L. WATSON, correspondent
Sunday News
Published: Mar 04, 2007 12:03 AM EST
MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - An old woman wanders the streets wearing slippers and a housecoat. Children play on a stack of ratty old mattresses. Two Jehovah's Witnesses strike a formal pose.
While Zoe Strauss' photos aren't always beautiful, they are breathtaking.
A collection of Strauss' photos, many taken for her "Under I-95" project, which she exhibits yearly on the support beams of Interstate 95 in South Philadelphia, will be on display at Millersville University's Sykes Gallery through April. Strauss will deliver the university's 2007 Conrad Nelson Lecture on Thursday.
The Whitney American Museum of Art took notice of "Under I-95" and featured Strauss' work last year during its biennial international art show, which raises awareness of works by lesser-known artists. The Whitney highlighted Strauss' volunteer work in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, but the bulk of her photos are rooted in her hometown, Philadelphia.
"I love it here," Strauss, 36, said during a telephone interview. "It's not a particularly pretentious place. It's less about fronting and more about living your life."
Strauss has lived in Philadelphia her entire life, and that seems to work to her advantage. With each click of her camera's shutter, she gets under the city's skin and charms her way into its heart. Abandoned storefronts take on new meaning, and graffiti finds a fresh beauty.
In one of her most understated photos, a single florescent light glows against a cinder block wall. At first, it seems too simple, out of place among the complex compositions of buildings and people. But on extended viewing, the photo reveals a powerful loneliness.
"There is something very formal about it, and something that is also a little bit sad about it," Strauss said, "which is insane, because it's a completely inanimate object. I mean, it's a florescent light, at a truck stop. But I really love that."
Strauss finds much to love when she's searching for quality photos. Her work, she said, falls into three loose categories: portraits, architecture and text. In one text-based photo, a sign reads, "Bankruptcy $199. Divorce $289." Her portraits consist mostly of strangers, people she stops on the streets.
"I always discuss the project that I'm doing and why I am interested in stopping and photographing them," Strauss said. "Not everyone is interested, but it's always a good interaction for me. The photograph is just a result of that specific interaction. The best ones come from a very deep feeling of connection I have with that person."
And it shows. In one portrait, a woman pulls her shirt over her head to reveal a small tattoo. In another, factory workers lounge in their hairnets. Occasionally, people invite her back to their homes.
"Sometimes people want more intimate portraits," she said.
But isn't that scary, in a city with so much crime?
"It's not," Strauss said, laughing. "I don't know. It's crazy. ... It always seems like it makes perfect sense in the moment."
Some of her best shots just happen, such as the one of a man on crutches walking underneath a Marines recruiting billboard.
"It was right at the start of the war," Strauss said. "It was a very distinct moment. It had a lot of social commentary, but it was also real decisive and [had] a real interesting composition."
Then there's the shot of new mattresses lined up in a row along the side of a road, as if for sale, with helium-filled party balloons tied to them.
"I have less of an explanation for why I love that [photo] so much," Strauss said. "There's something about it that's very intimate and very engaging, but there's no literal explanation like I have for the man walking under the Marines billboard. That's kind of how I see my work in some ways: Some things are literal, and some things that are less open to interpretation."
Strauss will talk about her work at 7 p.m. Thursday at Meyers Auditorium in McComsey Hall on Frederick Street in Millersville. A reception will be held at 8 p.m. in the Sykes Gallery, where her work will be on display through April 12. Both the lecture and reception are free.
For more information, call the university art department at 872-3298 or visit www.zoestrauss.com.
Ellie
Photographer Zoe Strauss visits Millersville
By KELLY L. WATSON, correspondent
Sunday News
Published: Mar 04, 2007 12:03 AM EST
MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - An old woman wanders the streets wearing slippers and a housecoat. Children play on a stack of ratty old mattresses. Two Jehovah's Witnesses strike a formal pose.
While Zoe Strauss' photos aren't always beautiful, they are breathtaking.
A collection of Strauss' photos, many taken for her "Under I-95" project, which she exhibits yearly on the support beams of Interstate 95 in South Philadelphia, will be on display at Millersville University's Sykes Gallery through April. Strauss will deliver the university's 2007 Conrad Nelson Lecture on Thursday.
The Whitney American Museum of Art took notice of "Under I-95" and featured Strauss' work last year during its biennial international art show, which raises awareness of works by lesser-known artists. The Whitney highlighted Strauss' volunteer work in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, but the bulk of her photos are rooted in her hometown, Philadelphia.
"I love it here," Strauss, 36, said during a telephone interview. "It's not a particularly pretentious place. It's less about fronting and more about living your life."
Strauss has lived in Philadelphia her entire life, and that seems to work to her advantage. With each click of her camera's shutter, she gets under the city's skin and charms her way into its heart. Abandoned storefronts take on new meaning, and graffiti finds a fresh beauty.
In one of her most understated photos, a single florescent light glows against a cinder block wall. At first, it seems too simple, out of place among the complex compositions of buildings and people. But on extended viewing, the photo reveals a powerful loneliness.
"There is something very formal about it, and something that is also a little bit sad about it," Strauss said, "which is insane, because it's a completely inanimate object. I mean, it's a florescent light, at a truck stop. But I really love that."
Strauss finds much to love when she's searching for quality photos. Her work, she said, falls into three loose categories: portraits, architecture and text. In one text-based photo, a sign reads, "Bankruptcy $199. Divorce $289." Her portraits consist mostly of strangers, people she stops on the streets.
"I always discuss the project that I'm doing and why I am interested in stopping and photographing them," Strauss said. "Not everyone is interested, but it's always a good interaction for me. The photograph is just a result of that specific interaction. The best ones come from a very deep feeling of connection I have with that person."
And it shows. In one portrait, a woman pulls her shirt over her head to reveal a small tattoo. In another, factory workers lounge in their hairnets. Occasionally, people invite her back to their homes.
"Sometimes people want more intimate portraits," she said.
But isn't that scary, in a city with so much crime?
"It's not," Strauss said, laughing. "I don't know. It's crazy. ... It always seems like it makes perfect sense in the moment."
Some of her best shots just happen, such as the one of a man on crutches walking underneath a Marines recruiting billboard.
"It was right at the start of the war," Strauss said. "It was a very distinct moment. It had a lot of social commentary, but it was also real decisive and [had] a real interesting composition."
Then there's the shot of new mattresses lined up in a row along the side of a road, as if for sale, with helium-filled party balloons tied to them.
"I have less of an explanation for why I love that [photo] so much," Strauss said. "There's something about it that's very intimate and very engaging, but there's no literal explanation like I have for the man walking under the Marines billboard. That's kind of how I see my work in some ways: Some things are literal, and some things that are less open to interpretation."
Strauss will talk about her work at 7 p.m. Thursday at Meyers Auditorium in McComsey Hall on Frederick Street in Millersville. A reception will be held at 8 p.m. in the Sykes Gallery, where her work will be on display through April 12. Both the lecture and reception are free.
For more information, call the university art department at 872-3298 or visit www.zoestrauss.com.
Ellie