Time and light souvenirs

honors thesisCollege of Fine ArtsArt & Art HistoryJoseph MarottaI was a young photography student in my home country of Peru when I built my first Pinhole camera as one of the many school assignments, and long before I came to United States. For my very first picture, I placed the Pinhole camera on the school patio the elements of the composition for the project were simple; a tree in the background as well as a couple of benches placed on the terracotta tiles under the afternoon light which became the subject matter. I uncovered the pinhole and the instantaneous exposure took place. But I was not prepared for the absolutely surprising outcome. The resulting image was an oneiric place where the light spectrum took on the properties of another dimension. The soft focus held together the composition showing a surrealistic imagery, and the diffused edges framed a startling image seemingly from a long gone unimaginable reality. The results were both mesmerizing and alluring despite the simplicity of the pinhole photographic process. In following years, that first experience and image inspired me to use the pinhole camera not just to capture new images, but also to build and test new pinhole cameras suitable for the concept of the work I had in mind. A pinhole camera is simple but an essential tool for this project. The idea was to produce one book of eleven inches long and about thirty pages. The text will include a brief history of the pinhole camera, the science behind the process, thoughts on iii technique for the images, lighting structure and description. In addition, the pinhole camera has a particular variation instead of one aperture; it has two apertures in a vertical alignment that allows a double exposure. The resulting images are a blending of spaces and objects with a subtle transition, allowing the viewer to embrace them as a one familiar space. "If these walls could talk" is an old phrase referring to untold or hidden secrets impossible to reveal. I believe, contrary to this expression, when a photograph is the subject of contemplation there are countless stories waiting to be unveiled within the image. The thesis project is based on my myriad memories from a long gone existence, places and objects mingling time and light souvenirs