Ralph Eugene Meatyard

What does distortion do for a photograph? Why is our class so interested in it? I think that the majority of our class is exploring distortion in some form. But why? Is this solely related to our curiosity about how to distort? Or should we ask if there is a broad conceptual meaning for this.
Last semester I learned that my shooting style was to not include the face, or distort the face in some way (mask). I justified this action by my thoughts on communication. I think that there is a general lack of communication between people. The face itself contains vital communication sources: ears for hearing, eyes for seeing, mouth for speaking. We all know this full well and this is how we were always taught to communicate. But lately I think our communication has shifted to a combination of our thumbs and eyes looking at words on an electronic screen. I often ask myself why I often feel disconnected from the people around me. Is this a fault of mine; do I not spend enough time looking people in the eye and speaking from my heart, instead of typing it? Does this combination of trying to communicate disturb a more organic flow to how we used to communicate? Does it effect us at all?

I think that there is a great interest in the face of a person. For many reasons we look to the face of a person to define them. But going along with Mary's last post, what about those that have an "abnormal," face? What for them? Does this wound define how people communicate with them-absolutely. In all honesty, I don't want to communicate with people that make me uncomfortable. I'm certain it would be hard to look at any of the women in the photos Mary posted and not feel uncomfortable.

There is so much emphasis and visual interest in the face; that when distorted, it becomes something unusual. Ralph Eugene Meatyard uses masks or blurring to describe the faces of his models. As viewers we can recognize that the masks are unproportional and on top of the face that belongs to the person. But for me it makes me ask questions, like the ones above. Why are these images so interesting? I can best filter my questions in the subcategory of communication. I believe for me, this is where the answer for my interpretation lies.

Through my excursions to the prison, I find it increasingly more difficult to sort of ignore eye contact with the inmates. I want to look each of them in the eye and get to know their story. But this action solely defines how I present myself to them and how they appear to me. If they look me in the eye I will do the same, but considering that I am not good at hiding my fear, I ask if they will be able to sense that and I, in turn become more vulnerable to their presence?

I cannot explain what it feels like to spend the day walking around at the prison and come back to the St. Norbert island. Like Mary mentioned in her post, we don't really have to deal with that much shit here. It was so weird to come from the prison, where things are very quiet and systematic to my apartment, where my roommates were literally yelling, complaining about social group drama. It really made me realize that we are free. But yet, we put ourselves in similar positions as those within the prison encounter everyday. How free do we make ourselves? The inmates have no communication outside of the institution save visiting hours- that's it.

We have the glorious freedom to communicate with each other about ideas, feelings, concerns, and burdens everyday without having to be monitored. Mostly I hope to make us ask questions about our work beyond the technical stuff. What about distortion is so interesting?