The piece I chose for the Bodies of Knowledge exhibition is titled “Dream” and was taken in 1985 by Geno Rodriguez who is Puerto Rican-American. What stood out to me the most in this photo was the stark use of color in contrast to the composition. The bizarre nature of the giant moth that landed and is relatively curious of the human that has collapsed in front of it caught my eye. The fact that it is taken from above also speaks to the photo as a whole creating the questions as to where these two came from, one human, and another a winged creature. It also shows the somewhat desperate nature of the human, with their arms outstretched as if they were crawling despite the ribbons that are holding them captive. The photo is in long depth of field which adds to the detail of not only the subjects but the almost rug-like texture that probably portrays the grass. Why did they make it obvious that the background isn’t grass but choosing long DOF? Is it adding to the larger than life by having an unrealistic setting? Is that also why the restraints on the human aren’t actual restraints but mere ribbons? The lighting is also really bright but it does not seem to be natural. The aspect of mixing a realistic message with an unrealistic setting actually calls forth the name of the piece “Dream” and is even enhanced by the human being faced down and assumingly unconscious. Out of the several themes mentioned on the LUAG website, I think this photo embodies “Extending the Body” due to the notion that we humans extend our bodies to places that aren’t scientifically proven but rather a common experience that we all have, which is the mysterious nature of our dreams.
How would you explain the scale differences between the moth and the person? Also remember to include the citation from the wall label. Good description and questions.
I can’t really tell which one is bigger, but in my point of view, the moth looks slightly bigger than the person because it is on top. This gives the moth a sort of predatory position which means it looks like a threat to the human. Maybe the moth is the main aspect of this “dream” the human is having.
P.S. I will edit the post and include the label