This project was a challenge to not use human or natural forms and still find personal interest in each photograph. The end result was that these images taught me to “see” differently.
A small town, rural Minnesota girl, I have always disliked big cities and have never wanted to live in town or take architectural photographs. The idea of creating viable work despite my personal preference struck me as a good discipline within my medium. Could I take urban, industrial, or architectural photographs that still held beauty or interest to me?
I could. These photos of solid, man-made structures hold my attention and interest. On one hand, the shadows, the concept of windows as eyes into these structures, the oddities and the differences in every image, intrigue me. The questioning of “what are these buildings to me” or what they represent, all retain my eyes and imagination.
On the other hand, my brain learned to process differently while viewing these images. I can now see them as shapes, as lines, as forms, positive and negative. The angles become flat objects, the space becomes abstract and the ideas do not necessarily matter. It is merely a composition of wonderful, shapes installed in the space around us.
These photographs show a variety of structures and places, without context and excess objects. What is literally there, is visually obvious. The content beyond that, though intentional, is not more important than the simplest forms.
Shaina Sieh
