Kickstarter for The Spirit Within
Hello everyone! I'm pleased to announce that my kickstarter for my thesis project has officially launched. If you're unaware of what kickstarter is, it is a website where artists and other business-people can collect investments for projects they intend to launch. The investors don't leave without anything, there are kickbacks for pledging certain dollar amounts! If the full amount is not raised, no one is charged and no one gets any money. You can learn all about kickstarter here.
I am basically raising money in order to fund some of the expenses of creating such a project (which really add up!), and everyone who pledges gets a little something, whether it be a postcard, c-print, copy of the book, or giclee print.
My thesis is basically a photographic exploration of superstition and the irrational thoughts that pervade our thinking in Southern (United States) culture, both in the past and the present. It's a form of commentary on what we are willing to believe. I will be recreating trends of early photography (late 19th, early 20th century) in a modern context, like ectoplasm, mediums, spirits, mothers covered in black sheets with their children, oddities, et cetera.
My photographic style will be infused in this series, and I will use a natural, modern technique for capture. The spiritual elements (like ectoplasm) will be physical manifestations in the images, and not the result of heavy editing.
I will be traveling for some of the series, capturing images in iconic places for superstition and metaphysical experiences, like Bonaventure Cemetery and parts of New Orleans. My focus for travel will be in the Southern United States, as the culture here is steeped in superstition and I am more familiar with the mindset of this area and can fully delve into the topics.
The money will be spent on travel expenses, unforeseen equipment and prop expenses, on self-publishing the book I am to create out of this body of work, and on printing giclee prints- matting and framing them for solo exhibition.
Some images I have created for the series can be found in the "Spirits" section of my Work page on my website.
You can find out more about The Spirit Within and what the kickbacks are for pledges (as little as $1 will get you something!) on my kickstarter page. If you like what you see, please don't hesitate to open your wallets! You will be an patron in the arts, and you will get some great rewards for doing so.
Thanks so much for reading about my project and for helping make it a reality. I need to start getting to work, so I will write more another time. Stay vibrant!
