By Quinn Evans Contributing writer
Ever since the first still images were created in the mid- 19th century, photography has been a valuable medium for documenting realities, whether it be haunting or inspiring.
“Photography as Social Conscience,” an event held at the Lore Degenstein Gallery on Jan. 28, exemplified this notion, as the gallery walls were hung with photographs “revealing realities of race relations in the U.S.,” according to Dan Olivetti, the director of the Lore Degenstein Gallery.
Olivetti advertised the show so that dozens of artists nationwide could submit their photographs to be judged, including several Susquehanna students.
Olivetti wanted to organize a show that related to the Martin Luther King Jr. celebration and Black History Month.
Juried by Ceaphas Stubbs, a professional photographer specializing in still-life, the exhibition contains images with a diverse range of subject matter, from portraits to minimalistic shots of blank protest signs, with the theme of racial injustice permeating each one.
Stubbs awarded a piece called “The Aesthetics of Protest II” by Brooks Dierdorff the title of Best in Show.
The Best in Show piece depicts blank protest or picket signs by themselves in what appears to be a white room.
Each sign is given a different angle and it almost looks as if the viewer is looking at an active protest.
Dierdorff has displayed in galleries both in the United States and across the globe.
According to Olivetti, photography is an invaluable method in unveiling racial injustice “because it is so direct, immediate, accessible to nearly everyone and always happens in the present moment.”
Accompanying the artwork was a composed playlist by Isayah Young-Burke, a Susquehanna sophomore, which corresponded to the themes of the exhibition.
His intention was to “capture the ambiance of the stunning photography.”
He also said he hoped to “make the artwork more approachable and appealing to the average viewer” by carefully choosing songs that would captivate the opening’s diverse audience.
The “combination of art and music and being in such a large crowd of people created a really unique atmosphere,” first-year Emily Hopf said.
First-year Patrick Durney, was impressed by the exhibit as well, noting how everything “flowed together” and that “it was really powerful.”
The theme of racial injustice, relative to the current state of the U.S, was evident in many of the photographs.
The nearly life-sized piece “Targeted” was produced a few months ago in Brooklyn, New York by Eric Corriel.
The photographs depict three people with targets on them. The photos were taken from a video in which the people would walk past the camera and a target would be depicted on them.
Corriel’s website describes “Targeted” as a “site specific interactive video” where a camera and speakers were set up outside the studio in which the project first took place.
The speakers would make noise to attract attention and the screens would show people walking by with targets on them.
Other pieces depicted moments from Black Lives Matter and Trump protests. Inspired by moments of racial injustice he has experienced since middle school, Young- Burke not only composed the playlist for the show but had a photograph exhibited on the wall as well.
Young-Burke said: “[It] portrays the young man already being trapped before entering the train.”
“For being who he is, the man knows he can’t prevent an officer from suspecting him of malicious activity nor knowing the truth of the 3.7 GPA college student,” Young-Burke continued.
Hopf also recognized how the “timing of the show is impeccably relevant” and thought that one of the reasons why the turnout was so great was because many attended “to express resistance towards social and racial injustice.”
Other Susquehanna students who submitted pieces for the show were senior Kane Leighton and junior Joshua Ralph, along with Young-Burke.
The show will continued to be displayed until March 5 in the Lore Degenstein Gallery, which can be found across from the box office and is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
