Self-portrait through six places

by Brent Reaney Prof. Keliy Anderson-Staley Cyanotype Final Project Summer 2020

Project Statement

If you knew where I’ve been, could you better understand who I am? In thinking more deeply about these places, could I better understand myself? This self-portrait project contains images from six places I’ve lived over roughly 20 years, presented sequentially. Being a Canadian considering immigrating to the United States has sparked an unexpected search for identity. Away from Canada for six years, am I really Canadian? My grandparents were farmers and my distant heritage is Scottish. And I’m definitely not from here. But more than where I was born or where my ancestors are from, I strongly identify with places I’ve lived. Having shaped my understanding of the world, I try to return often. Truthfully, I don’t feel connected to much outside of where I’ve been. But given I’ve lived everywhere from Taiwan to the Canadian Subarctic, how do I interpret the impact these disparate locations have had on me? Using the cyanotype process, a small portion of each image is cropped and printed as a high-contrast positive reproduction. Combined, the cropping and printing processes obscure the image’s full meaning, though titles offer content and geographic clues. The high-contrast positive development transforms each image just as reflection changes an experience over time. Paired with each image, triangles reference the delta symbol for change, which represents transition. Drops of water are added and development time is varied to indicate years spent. Made against the backdrop of a pandemic, each image’s spiky edges intentionally resemble the seemingly omnipresent image of Covid-19. In my practice, I’m exploring ways to expand and reconsider the photographic portrait. I’ve been working through pairings of various images, as well as considering whether someone’s impact on a particular space can serve as some record of their identity. This work is part of that process.

Pair of legs Toronto, Canada

Scooters stopped Tainan, Taiwan

Lake bottom aerial Northwest Territories, Canada

Auntie Justinaâ€™s porch Accra, Ghana

Wave cresting aerial Northwest Territories, Canada

Roosevelt Jr.â€™s painting Philadelphia, PA

My eye Houston, TX

The future holds Here, There

Potential Installation

ÂŠ Broken Chair Press Houston, TX 2020

Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook

Self-portrait through six places

Published on Jul 1, 2020

brentreaney

Completed for a cyanotype course with Prof. Keliy Anderson-Staley at the University of Houston Summer 2020: If you knew where I’ve been, could you better understand who I am? In thinking more deeply about these places, could I better understand myself? This self-portrait project contains images from six places I’ve lived over roughly 20 years, presented sequentially. Being a Canadian considering immigrating to the United States has sparked an unexpected search for identity. Away from Canada for six years, am I really Canadian? My grandparents were farmers and my distant heritage is Scottish. And I’m definitely not from here. But more than where I was born or where my ancestors are from, I strongly identify with places I’ve lived. Having shaped my understanding of the world, I try to return often. Truthfully, I don’t feel connected to much outside of where I’ve been. But given I’ve lived everywhere from Taiwan to the Canadian Subarctic, how do I interpret the impact these disparate locations have had on me?