Title of Event: Artist in Residence, Odette England Artist Talk
Date and time of event: Thursday, October 5th @ 5pm
Location of Event: Hislop Auditorium
Type of Event: Guest Artist Talk
1.) Provide a brief detail-oriented technical description or summary of the event you attended. (This section should remain journalistic and should not be reflective of your opinion.)
Odette England gave a talk about her photography. During the talk, she explained three of the reasons why she likes photography, while showing three of her different works – one of which is being published in the spring. Additionally, she discussed the challenges she faced as an artist.
2.) Use the section below to write a well-structured paragraph focusing on your personal critical insight / response to the event. How did you interpret or react to what was presented to you?
The way that England presented her work was effective in grabbing my attention. At first, she spoke about her life growing up with a black screen, which allowed me to focus on her words instead of being lost in a visual element. When she read lines from her prose, she was mindful of her speaking tone, which was engaging and added to the effect of what was being read. Especially at the end, her tone made it seem almost like I was watching a movie because each photograph had lines that went with it. Another thing that interested me was the way England said she obviously knows her own daughter, but through the camera lens, it was as if she was looking at a different person because she had never seen her daughter in such detail.
3.) What information, ideas, images, etc. most impressed you and why?
I was most impressed by her open mind and thought that “ruin” could be seen as an opportunity rather than a negative aspect in her photography. This was interesting because it adds back a sense of reality to her work instead of having everything staged.
4.) Overall, how would you rate this event (10 being the most worthwhile)?
(10 / 9 / 8 / 7 / 6 / 5 / 4 / 3 / 2 / 1 )
10
5.) Justify your rating in the question above:
I think England’s talk was interesting, and her approach to photography was different to other photography I have seen. I also liked how she read from her prose at the end while showing pictures because it added an auditory element, which pictures lack.