In this project, I want to explore the disparities that exist between visual identity and what lies beneath the surface. As a culture so focused on individualism, I want to use photography to explore the concept of “true” identity, or if even such a thing exists. I will do this by capturing images of people in public and myself, and pair these with images of public signs and symbols that I see while walking or exploring. I will juxtapose curated expressions and cultivated presentations of these people and symbols with moments that contradict, reinforce, or justify the sentiments expressed by visual representation.

I will use the technique of analog double exposures shot on 120mm film, as well as photoshopped “double exposures” made using Adobe Photoshop and digital camera photos, and print these images on a thin, transparent paper. These aforementioned methods will allow the project to have a sense of transparency and lack of opacity when displayed under studio light, and further highlight the flimsy nature of a projected persona when contrasted with what we perceive internally and emotionally. Using a material like thin Kozo paper, which has a parchment paper-like texture, or silk organza fabric will allow me to overlay these images through both light from my photographs (within the image itself,) as well as overlapping the physical pieces of paper and fabric to represent the simultaneous tangibility and elusive quality of our sense of sight and self.

The United States was built on ideas and images- the same way we create our own personas and cultivate our sense of individuality by how we appear. In our current time, social media has enabled many to create a visual identity that might be completely different from their day-to-day reality, while their emotional interior and self-perception is more difficult than ever to process. We are a nation where, when you drive, you see other cars as individuals and don’t look at the people inside behind the wheel. When you post online, you often do not consider how each individual will perceive your images or words, and are even actively encouraged to ignore this reality and project an image of yourself to a large faceless group of followers.

Conducting this project will also be unique to this short time period, as it precedes a major political election, where we as a culture are grappling with the implications of presenting information and ideas to one another. Who can we trust to be “true” or “accurate” in an increasingly obfuscated reality? This project will aim to explore these ideas further by walking around Santa Cruz and photographing individuals, groups, political expressions, and strange occurrences that make up this city, and to challenge visual “truth” by layering exposures to create a multifaceted idea of a picture, that goes beyond simple statements or stagnant photographs.