honorable mention
Wendel Wirth united states
title
Considerations of a Modern Landscape
Considerations of a Modern Landscape:
Addressing society’s chaos through opposition and a far-reaching use of minimalism.
I am interested in the serendipitous moments provoked by rare, atmospheric occurrences. In these landscapes, the subtleties that emerge remind us of simpler times, prompting us to contemplate our place in the world and challenging us to consider how we want to shape its future. My intent is that the complexities and pensive nature of the photographs are universal, and yet, intimately personal.
The goal of my work is to invite people to consider the importance of land, not merely for beauty or industry, but for the sensations that are evoked within us. By placing the horizon line at the center of the image, a slight abstraction is created. The photographs defamiliarize the traditional landscape, with the intent of stimulating the viewer to reflect, and rediscover the meaning of the photograph.
This project was inspired by the sensory experience we get from nature, specifically at the crossroads of a horizon. The resulting balance and symmetry has the power to center us as humans. Eastern philosophy further influences the ideas of balance and symmetry experienced in this body of work.
These photographs were taken with either a rangefinder camera or Hasselblad coupled with a digital back. They are available in limited editions sized 15x20”, 24x32”, 30x40” and 45x60”.
Wendel received her Masters of Fine Art from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, graduating Magna Cum Laude and her Bachelor of Fine Art from Denison University.
For 18 years, prior to pursuing her MFA, Wendel worked as a commercial photographer, art director and product designer for ‘a tail we could wag’. She has studied photography at Parson’s School of Design, Maine Photographic Workshops (now Maine Media) and with the Friends of Photography. She has had the fortune of studying under Ruth Bernhard, Ralph Gibson and Hosoe Eikoh.
Originally from New York City and Chicago, she lives in the mountains of Ketchum (better known as Sun Valley), Idaho with her husband, daughter and two well loved dogs.
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entry description
These four photographs are part of a larger body of work titled 'Considerations of a Modern Landscape'.Considerations of a Modern Landscape:
Addressing society’s chaos through opposition and a far-reaching use of minimalism.
I am interested in the serendipitous moments provoked by rare, atmospheric occurrences. In these landscapes, the subtleties that emerge remind us of simpler times, prompting us to contemplate our place in the world and challenging us to consider how we want to shape its future. My intent is that the complexities and pensive nature of the photographs are universal, and yet, intimately personal.
The goal of my work is to invite people to consider the importance of land, not merely for beauty or industry, but for the sensations that are evoked within us. By placing the horizon line at the center of the image, a slight abstraction is created. The photographs defamiliarize the traditional landscape, with the intent of stimulating the viewer to reflect, and rediscover the meaning of the photograph.
This project was inspired by the sensory experience we get from nature, specifically at the crossroads of a horizon. The resulting balance and symmetry has the power to center us as humans. Eastern philosophy further influences the ideas of balance and symmetry experienced in this body of work.
These photographs were taken with either a rangefinder camera or Hasselblad coupled with a digital back. They are available in limited editions sized 15x20”, 24x32”, 30x40” and 45x60”.
about the photographer
Wendel Wirth's most recent body of work, No Vacancy, was shortlisted for the 2017 Felix Schoeller Photo Award. In 2015, she was awarded a Fellowship from the Idaho Commission on the Arts. In November of 2013, Wendel received a Juror’s Merit Award at the Boise Art Museum Triennial exhibit. She is represented by Gilman Contemporary in Ketchum, Idaho and Dimmitt Contemporary Art in Houston.Wendel received her Masters of Fine Art from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, graduating Magna Cum Laude and her Bachelor of Fine Art from Denison University.
For 18 years, prior to pursuing her MFA, Wendel worked as a commercial photographer, art director and product designer for ‘a tail we could wag’. She has studied photography at Parson’s School of Design, Maine Photographic Workshops (now Maine Media) and with the Friends of Photography. She has had the fortune of studying under Ruth Bernhard, Ralph Gibson and Hosoe Eikoh.
Originally from New York City and Chicago, she lives in the mountains of Ketchum (better known as Sun Valley), Idaho with her husband, daughter and two well loved dogs.
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