Senior Portfolio: Spring 2014 Undergrad at Sac State
Strangers Series
Completed Spring 2014 during my undergrad at Sac State as my Senior Portfolio.
My statement reads:
“Strangers have always fascinated me.
I see them everywhere. You probably do too.
But, I don’t really see them. Neither do you.
We just pass them by, concentrated in our own thoughts.
So, I invite you.
Take a moment.
Take a step outside of your own thoughts.
Take a step into the thoughts of another.
I can’t promise you anything profound,
But please do tell. What do you see?”
I originally came up with this concept in the Fall of 2013 during a self-directed challenge project that we were given during my last year at Sac State. I really wanted to challenge myself to take a thorough look at other people's lives in a way that would allow me to better understand the way they perceive the world around them. I was interested in the things people think about, how they feel, and the experiences they encounter throughout their day. Another goal was to gain new perspectives in regards to how others perceive the same types of situations in which I find myself.
To start, I asked 10 strangers to participate. I took their portrait and gave them a small notebook. Some of the individuals chose to use their own. I asked each individual to keep a catalog of their lives in the way they felt most comfortable (Paragraphs, Bullet Points, Single Words, Pictures, etc.). I asked them to write for a set period of time (3-4 weeks). I read and chose the text I felt would give the best insight into each individual's life. After the text was chosen, I selected certain text to bold. I then arranged the text to fit inside of a 6x8" space, varying based on the individual's style.
I printed each portrait and accompanying text on sheets of transparency and sandwiched them between three acrylic sheets. The image, text, and acrylic are held together with Chicago Screws. Each objects allows an interaction with these individuals as they are meant to be picked up, held, looked at and looked at again.
Detailed images of the series can be found below.
You can view the entire series at: http://www.logansmithphoto.com/strangers-series/
