In the Dark Room

abstract: “In the Dark Room” consists of a body of poetry with accompanying visual art exploring themes of tenderness, violence, memory, and distortion. The poems revolve around the self, the beloved, and the body. The speaker reflects on notions of harm and love towards themselves and others as relationships begin to decay, fogging the mind of the speaker, leaving them feeling as if they are trapped in a haze, their sense of time, warped. The title of the project reflects this, as a dark room is commonly used to develop film photographs. The idea of developing images leads to ideas of perception and performance. The poems encapsulate the gauze the speaker lives in by balancing precise, physical details with emotionally charged moments of urgency prompted by the speaker’s uncertainty and desperation. Questions and commands are utilized to draw out the inner action in the speaker’s mind as well as to illuminate different layers present in the work. The corresponding photography and collage serve to highlight the emotional depth of the pieces, as well as add accessibility and interest for the public. The photographs function as stills from a film, adding an element of movement, inspiring visceral emotions that elevate the written work, while the collage ties the mediums together by reflecting central imagery through the inherent fusion of the form. The body of work aims to translate vulnerability into a relatable human experience by exploring the confusion caused by emotional wounds