Week 3: Photo series

Untitled Series by
Angie Cardona

My main intention for this set was to place emphasis on “blocked” such as a mental block or an artist block. Whether you have the assignment to do or you have a big decision to make, You are completely stuck in place. Time seems to slip away from your fingertips as you make little to no progress in your work. You try to seek out any inspiration but nothing seems to click. You slowly start to get frustrated at yourself for the lack of motivation as you stare at the screen. As the text in  Susan Sonntag, “It captures a moment in time and shares it but it doesn't share what happened around it, which is something we realize when looking back on it.”

With my photographs, I was mostly inspired by Carrie Mae Weems’ “Kitchen Table Series” in the sense that I took the four photographs in one setting. I wanted to mostly focus on the desk and office chair as most work is done on a desk of some sort. I felt like that setting is very common with anyone, especially with the pandemic.

 I wanted each image to convey a sense of connection with anyone at a certain age, especially with school or work no matter what age, gender, or race you are, you will always have moments in life where you feel completely blocked or stuck. A statement made by Mickalene Thomas, “Mysterious and mystical line that is how we relate to each other in the world.” With the Kitchen Table Series, Weems’ wanted to convey a series of photographs that anyone could relate to.

With mine, I wanted my setting to be on a desk in my room however, I didn’t want to angle the camera towards my bed and focus it on a neutral wall. Carrie Mae Weems explains in an interview, “life emanates from the small space we occupy in the world.” Revisiting Carrie Mae Weems’s Landmark “Kitchen Table Series” I really took that concept in the sense that everything is mostly centered around the main subject with is me. And the negative space around me is very limited and minuscule which gives the illusion of being trapped in a confined space.

I felt like my series convey a sense of being blocked especially with my body language, I convey a sense of stress and irritation within this state. I feel like my piece resonates with anyone going through a “block” in their life.