Publication Date

4-29-2024

Document Type

Photograph

First Advisor

Fleming, Amy

Degree Name

B.F.A. (Bachelor of Fine Arts)

Department

School of Art and Design

Abstract

Humans have always stumbled through time, whether each person lived or not is another question. Connecting, experiencing, and feeling dissolve existence into living. Inspired by artists Richard Mosse and Cara Romero who use alternative methods to present perspectives, Michael Leeson uses 35mm film in collaboration with friends from around the United States to do the same.

Leeson ships a variety of black and white film types and a film camera if they do not have one to his collaborators (some who have never shot film before) giving them a wide direction of “shoot your everyday life and vulnerability”. Leeson refuses to give them any guidance beyond his one statement. The collaborators send back the film half exposed with one sentence. The rolls are then shot over by Leeson with the first images in mind, although not truly knowing what they look like. This process allows for expanding, overlapping, and merged images conveying perspectives and ideas that never would have interwoven without Leeson’s art. The last step in merging perspectives falls on the viewer. Images, presented in enlarged canisters, force the viewer to bridge the photo strip themselves, creating another connection in the chain of experiences within and beyond the pieces.

Comments

Inspired by artists Richard Mosse and Cara Romero who use alternative methods to present perspectives, Michael Leeson uses various photo techniques as a solo artist or in collaborative projects. Leeson uses introspective reflection as a means to connect himself with the struggles of others. The work Leeson makes in its final form is often presented in an interactable or three-dimensional way. Without including the viewer in the art, Leeson believes there is a missed opportunity to build another connection in the world. Michael Leeson has pushed himself through his education and personal work to make immersive work that expands the perspectives, of the artist, the subject, and the viewer. Through weaving perspectives together Leeson always aims to make the world more understanding and compassionate.

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