UNC students' photography shows explore perspective

Photography is all about perspective.

And today, UNC students will use photography to give the community insight into different perspectives of major cultural issues.

“The Lens of the Emerging Artist,” presented by FRANK Gallery and the UNC department of art, features three photography exhibits on campus — all created and led by UNC students.

Graduate student Ali Halperin will curate the first show, “Border Glitches: UNC MFA Contemporary Visions in Photography.”

Halperin’s show focuses on how identities are shaped and distorted by technology.

Her show explores the concept of a border glitch, which is a point where pixelated space and real life begin to intertwine.

Identities are constructed on the Internet, especially on social networking sites, like Facebook or Twitter, Halperin said.

“So much of our life transpires in this virtual space,” she said.

Her work — featured alongside fellow MFA student Michael Iauch’s videos — includes digitally manipulated photographs that display more than one image simultaneously, as well as a backlighting technique called the light box effect, which is often used on movie posters outside of cinemas.

“Border Glitches” is the first show Halperin has curated. She said the process was different than just showing her own work.

“It’s more about collaboration,” she said.

Halperin’s Introduction to Digital Photography students are responsible for another of the series’ three shows.

Their show, entitled “A Sense,” explores how photography can function as a contemporary language, stimulating each of the five senses in a new way.

UNC senior studio art major Kaitlin Knapp curated the final show of the series, “The American Landscape.”

Knapp said the show focuses on the political and cultural landscape of America, exploring facets ranging from the food industry to Latin American identity.

Jeremy Bass, another studio art major, created his work for Knapp’s show around the concept that the food industry has an inescapable grasp on American lives.

His photos contain scenes created with food or food packaging, and in many cases, people are represented as pieces of food.

“It’s good to share with other people what I’m thinking about,” Bass said.

“The American Landscape” is the second show Knapp has curated. She said her favorite part of the process is creating a theme for the show and then pulling together different artists and ideas.

“It’s been a lot more work than I thought,” she said.

“But it’s been a really rewarding experience.”

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