Persuasion by Pricilla Varner (Gallery)

What do you think of when you hear the words Happy, Sunny, childhood, yellow, ladybug? None of these words are associated with each other except under the context of me asking you. All these words should ignite happy feelings and thoughts. What do you feel when you see a picture of a grassy field? What Pricilla Varner does is put the two ideas together to make her concentration ‘Persuasion.’ She uses words to persuade the viewer into having certain feelings or thought regarding her photographs. I thought this idea/concept was just dandy. Instead of the viewer coming up with his or her own feelings of the artwork she tells you what to feel. I loved that idea. This had nothing to do with what she was trying to get across, but I interpreted it as kind of the Big Brother idea. Where those in control tell you have to think and feel leaving no room for imagination and self-development. That right there would have been the icing on the cake!

Priscilla Varner plays with the ideas of well…persuasion. In front of each piece is a set of words, so you read the words then look at the photograph. In turn the words you read set the mood and how you end up looking at the photograph. None of the words were related to each other but their association was there. Each word was in a different font setting a different mood for it. Most of the photographs were in black and white. I felt like she did this so that color couldn't change your view or feel of the piece. There was a time in my life where I wanted to study photography mostly that of black and white, so the photos were of more interest to me than anything else. My favorite photo was that of a carousel. Most of it was in focus but there was a blur aspect where the carousel seemed to be moving.

In conclusion this gallery was the bomb. I loved the idea behind it, even though I translated it differently and came up with my own view of it.