LATENT CONFRONTATIONS
KIAM MARCELO JUNIO
Reflection plays a key role for the works in this collection - both the intimate act of looking within one’s internalized history, and the physical act of seeing one’s presence on a mirrored surface. In this transmutation of lightwaves, how much is transferred? How much is lost?
Latent Confrontations brings the viewer to various thresholds between personal and public, between nostalgia and obsession, between the addressor and the addressed.
Kiam Marcelo Junio
Chicago (2004)
Tomorrow, for my photo class, we are talking about our personal artistic journeys. We are looking back to our current and older work and the artists who have shaped our way of seeing the world.
My first major purchase as an independent young adult was a film camera, a Canon EOS Rebel K2. These photos are from my first roll of Black and White film. Interestingly enough, I was living an hour north of Chicago at the time (during US Navy Hosptital Corpsman “A” School, after Boot Camp). I remember feeling a sense of freedom I had never experienced before, with my camera as a natural extension of my body.
This is how I fell in love with photography.
Untitled, (4:25 minutes)
(video installation, mixed media)
by Kiam Marcelo Junio
Installation shots by Heidi Norton
Artist statement and other images here
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Set-up:
- Video displayed on iPhone
- iPhone propped up on a mini-tripod
- Headphones
- the Body Shop eye de-puffing cream
- standalone desk and chair
My first video installation is presented on my iPhone. The video is a personal moment I decided to share with viewers. Due to the intimate nature of the video, the installation is set up so only one person can view it at a time (and the video is not available online).
Part of my theory is the intent to use the new media of the iPhone to its full potential - as a digital video recorder, a display, a communication device, and even as a quasi-mirror (thanks to the front-facing camera). The headphones are used to isolate the viewing experience for the viewer, and not allow any distraction from the intimate moment shared with the content.
The critique for the piece went well, and I can say I achieved what I set out to do: put the viewer in a somewhat awkward position being privy to the intimate moment, and feel truly immersed in its personal nature. Some viewers stated feeling “protective” of me (the subject of the video), and one viewer even noted that she thought the de-puffing eye cream was intended for the viewer’s use. The instructor also noted that there runs within the video a short but concise narrative, and that the video explores issues of sentimentality, communication, appearances, narcissism, and sexuality.
Some suggestions include placing the display on the wall, still small and intimate, but with less access to the actual device. Another suggestion is to place the eye cream on display, simply to be visible. These and other suggestions are definitely good to consider if/when I plan to present the work in a different setting.
Letters I’ll Never Send
(Series of 5, left to right)
-Letter to the Bluest Eyes in Texas
-Letter to a Shadow
-Letter to My Dead Mother
-Letter to an Absent Father
-Letter to the One Who Got Married
(Acrylic)
by Kiam Marcelo Junio
Installation shots by Heidi Norton
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Letters I’ll Never Send was borne of the idea that there is so much we want to say and share with others but we either choose not to, whether due to impossibility or discomfort. These 8x12 inch mirrored acrylic pieces are etched in my own handwriting (scanned, flipped, and burned onto acrylic), and maintain a deeply personal affect. The letters were written in a poetic style with help from several people, including my dear friend, poet, and ex-pat, Annie Le-Moussou.
When seeing the works, the viewer can read the letter and see his or her own reflection on the mirrored acrylic. This creates a conversation between the artist, the addressed identity, and the viewer, who is free to take on any of these viewpoints.
During my critique last week, my classmates, instructor and TA responded favorably to the pieces. I believe I elicited the reaction I intended - a sense of identification with both the speaker and the addressed person. It was mentioned that the letters have a universal quality to them, and are also general enough that anyone can find identification with them.
Other comments that were brought up: consider the flow from one letter to another, from one color to another (I used bronze and slate grey mirrored sheets). This I actually took very much into consideration while setting up. I intended for a somewhat lyrical movement through the letters, from one tone to the next, but all with a similar undertone. There is definitely a deliberate order to the letters.
Another comment made, with which I agree is the “cramped” feeling of the first and last letters. Next time I print these, there will be more of a margin around the letters to allow them better legibility.
One other comment that I will take into consideration is the mention of “Facebook” in one of the letters. Someone said it was distracting and took the viewer out of the moment. I understand this and perhaps will simply use “online” in a future revision. We shall see.
