Princey Poo's first art show: memories of my childhood as told by my mother


Title
Princey Poo's first art show: memories of my childhood as told by my mother
Description
Exhibition poster by Allison L. Patton for Spring 2013 in ART4250. I am interested in my childhood because it was a period in my life that I experienced but have no memory of.  It was the most crucial stage in my development, and what I experienced then informed so much of who I am today. My mom witnessed it all and documented as much as she could through the use of her automatic camera and the collection of every coloring page, birthday card, and macaroni necklace. She couldn't have possibly photographed every moment. I decided that I wanted to create photographic evidence for events and behaviors that previously had none. I asked my mom what memories she has of my childhood, and I created photographs based on her answers. The images are poorly composed, out of focus, full of distractions and red eyes, and the pop-up flash of my camera has blown out the highlights. They have all of the ingredients of a "bad" photograph, or what I call the "parent aesthetic", and it is completely intentional. The images are placed into the context of snapshots that would be found in a family photo album. This aesthetic decision is especially important because their presentation takes them out of their original context. Images like these are usually seen in photo albums, scrapbooks, and occasionally framed without a mat. They are only viewed by family members and very close friends. By printing them large scale, matting, framing, placing them in an art museum, and inviting strangers to come view them, they are given the significance that all family photographs deserve. My mom wrote the titles. The vernacular of a mother adds a dose of reality and helps to further contextualize the images. Children live without a filter, and with no sense of what behavior is appropriate. The images are strange, playful, funny, awkward, and ridiculous, which are the words I would use to describe what childhood is like..
Date
2013
Original Format
posters
Extent
45cm x 68cm
Local Identifier
SOAD3757
Creator(s)
Contributor(s)
Subject(s)
Spatial
Location of Original
None
Rights
Copyright for this item is held by the creator, who has granted ECU permission to display publicly. All other rights reserved by the creator. If you are the creator or copyright holder of this item and would like it removed, please contact us at als_digitalcollections@ecu.edu.
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Permalink
https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/54094
Preferred Citation
Cite this item

Related Search Results

Content Notice

Public access is provided to these resources to preserve the historical record. The content represents the opinions and actions of their creators and the culture in which they were produced. Therefore, some materials may contain language and imagery that is outdated, offensive and/or harmful. The content does not reflect the opinions, values, or beliefs of ECU Libraries.

Contact Digital Collections

If you know something about this item or would like to request additional information, click here.


Comment on This Item

Complete the fields below to post a public comment about the material featured on this page. The email address you submit will not be displayed and would only be used to contact you with additional comments or questions.


*
*
*
Comment Policy