honorable mention
Richard Cohen united states
title
Objectives of Desire: Vignettes
These vignettes are part of a large series of images entitled, “Objectives of Desire”, in which my focus is on the allure of contemporary commercial design found everywhere from the world’s top fashion centers to the antique and secondhand shops on main street. In all these images, I aim to document the original intent of the designer to attract the shopper, while framing and developing the images to emphasize what it is that seduces our senses.
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entry description
What catches our eye through a store window? What syncs with our desires? Light, color, and style, all coalesce to trigger a would be buyer’s psyche. “Vignettes” - artful compositions of items for sale - are employed by designers of storefronts in every commercial niche, from antique stores, to stationery stores, to bridal boutiques. Their use is described in detail in marketing textbooks. The vignette sets not only the style of the store, but also establishes an atmosphere that attracts our attention and beckons us into the shop to indulge. Often a cone of light from a single lamp encloses the composition of colorful cloth, shiny orbs, and decorative flowers, beads or feathers that show off the items for sale and sets the stage for participation.These vignettes are part of a large series of images entitled, “Objectives of Desire”, in which my focus is on the allure of contemporary commercial design found everywhere from the world’s top fashion centers to the antique and secondhand shops on main street. In all these images, I aim to document the original intent of the designer to attract the shopper, while framing and developing the images to emphasize what it is that seduces our senses.
about the photographer
Richard Alan Cohen lives and works in the South End of Boston where he still pursues his college double major in art and science. He graduated from Bowdoin College and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His lifetime interest in art derives from his mother, an art teacher and painter, and his father, a house designer and builder. His cityscape photography exposes the manipulation of urban inhabitants by contemporary design and style. Natural features that organize otherwise chaotic surroundings are emphasized in his landscapes.back to gallery