Critical Annotation
Throughout this semester, my work has centered around themes of memory, time, and the emotional connection between people and the spaces they inhabit. In my project A Farewell Letter to Winter, I explore the transient nature of home and identity, reflecting on how time transforms our relationship with familiar environments.
In my dossier, I’ve explored various precedents that align with my project’s themes. One important influence is Simon Pyle’s Midden City, where he delves into urban decay and the ways digital tools can preserve the remnants of the past. This idea of capturing fleeting moments resonates deeply with my work, where photography acts as a medium to hold onto the ephemeral qualities of personal spaces.
Another area of focus has been on environmental portraiture, drawing inspiration from artists like Reinecke Dijkstra and her Beach series, as well as Ying Ang’s Gold Coast. Both explore the connection between people and their environments in ways that bring out subtle, yet powerful, narratives. In A Farewell Letter to Winter, I similarly aim to capture the natural interactions between my subjects and their home settings, using space as a silent storyteller.
Atmosphere plays a significant role in my project as well. Todd Hido’s Homes at Night has profoundly influenced the mood I aim to create. His use of light and shadow to evoke emotion has guided me in building the intimate, cinematic quality of my own images, where domestic spaces become vessels of quiet reflection and emotional weight.
This dossier has allowed me to see my work from a critical perspective, providing insight into how these precedents inform my practice. By studying the way these artists address themes of space, memory, and identity, I’ve been able to deepen my understanding of how photography can evoke a sense of place and self, while refining the visual language of my project.
Rineke Dijkstra De Panne, Belgium, August 7, 1992 accessed Aug 11,
2024.https://publicdelivery.org/rineke-dijkstra-beach-portraits/
Sander, August, and Anne Halley. “From the Nature & Growth of Photography:
Lecture 5: Photography as a Universal Language.” The Massachusetts
Review 19, no. 4 (1978): 674–79.
Todd Hido. Homes at night, 2014, accessed Aug 12, 2024.
http://www.toddhido.com/homes
VINEGAR, ARON. “ED RUSCHA, HEIDEGGER, AND DEADPAN
PHOTOGRAPHY.” Art History 32, no. 5 (2009): 852–73.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8365.2009.00708.x.
Ying Ang. Gold Coast, Australia, 2014, accessed Aug 12, 2024.
https://www.yingangphoto.com/page.cfm?id=36&subid=109#
Urban Memory
Simon Pyle - Midden City
Simon Pyle
Midden City
2019
Series
Simon Pyle’s Midden City explores the preservation of urban decay through digital means. His work captures cities as they erode over time, raising questions about how digital documentation can both preserve and distort these memories. By investigating the layers of history embedded in urban spaces, Pyle highlights the fragility of memory in a digital age.
In my work, Pyle’s exploration of time and memory resonates with my desire to document spaces in transition. His use of digital technology as a preservation tool has encouraged me to think critically about how I capture personal environments and the emotions tied to them as they evolve over time.
Pyle, S. (2019). Midden City. [Series].
Taryn Simon - An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar
Taryn Simon
An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar
2007
Series
Taron-simon's Index to the Hidden and Unfamiliar in America reveals the hidden and often inaccessible Spaces of American society. Her work reveals hidden stories and systems, combining research with photography to reveal these hidden narratives. Simon's work makes the viewer question the visibility and control of space. In my thinking, Simon's approach to uncovering the hidden side of familiar places prompted me to think about how personal Spaces carry untold stories. Her ability to reveal invisible layers coincided with my interest in capturing emotions and memories beneath the surface of everyday environments.
Simon, T. (2007). An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar. [Series].
Michael Wolf - Architecture of Density
Michael Wolf
Architecture of Density
2003
Series
Michael Wolf's Architecture of Density focuses on the sheer scale of urban housing in Hong Kong, photographing huge residential buildings without showing their inhabitants. His work highlights the anonymity and loneliness that can arise in densely populated Spaces, raising questions about how architecture can shape individual identities.
Wolf's abstract depiction of the urban environment has influenced my thinking about space and identity in my work. While my focus was on the intimate space of the individual, Wolfe's exploration of architectural density reminded me to think about the larger forces that influence how space affects human emotions and connections.
Wolf, M. (2003). Architecture of Density. [Series].
Stephen Shore - Uncommon Places
Stephen Shore
Uncommon Places
1982
Photobook
Stephen Shore's Uncommon Places captures ordinary moments in American life, transforming ordinary places into something meaningful through careful attention to detail, color, and composition. His work encourages viewers to find meaning in everyday places, challenging the notion that only extraordinary moments are worth capturing.
Shore's ability to find beauty in the familiar influences how I approach everyday situations. Whether photographing home Spaces or exploring moments of transition, my goal is to reflect the quiet, often overlooked emotional connection between people and their surroundings. His work encourages me to slow down and find meaning in seemingly insignificant things.
Shore, S. (1982). Uncommon Places. [Photobook].
Portraiture and Space
Reinecke Dijkstra - Beach Series
Reinecke Dijkstra
Beach Series
1992–2002
Series
Reinecke Dijkstra's "Beach Series" is a portrait project of teenagers in vulnerable moments on the beaches of Europe and the United States. She uses neutral backgrounds to allow her subjects' emotions to show, emphasizing the delicate balance between embarrassment and self-awareness. Dijkstra's work emphasizes the primordial nature of transitional identity.
In my portraits, I also aim to capture introspective moments, using the home environment as a backdrop for emotional exploration. Dijkstra's ability to show the subject's weakness in an open space prompted me to think about how the space my subjects occupy shapes their emotional state.
Dijkstra, R. (1992–2002). Beach Series. [Series].
Ying Ang - Gold Coast
Ying Ang
Gold Coast
2014
Photobook
Ying Ang’s Gold Coast blends the idyllic and eerie aspects of suburban life in Australia, using bright, saturated colors to create a tension between the external beauty of homes and the psychological complexities beneath. Ang’s work critically examines the contradictions and hidden tensions that exist in suburban environments.
In my exploration of domestic spaces, Ang’s work reminds me to consider the emotional contrasts present within familiar settings. Her ability to make the familiar feel unsettling encourages me to think about how I can reveal the emotional contradictions and complexities that lie beneath the surface of everyday life.
Ang, Y. (2014). Gold Coast. [Photobook].
Alec Soth - Sleeping by the Mississippi
Alec Soth
Sleeping by the Mississippi
2004
Photobook
Alec Soth’s Sleeping by the Mississippi combines environmental portraiture with landscapes, telling personal stories of people and places along the Mississippi River. His ability to connect his subjects with their environments creates portraits that are both intimate and rooted in a broader social and geographic context. Soth’s sensitivity to place informs how I approach environmental portraiture in my work. His ability to reveal the quiet introspection of his subjects encourages me to think about how I can use personal spaces to enhance the emotional depth of my portraits, allowing the home environment to reflect the inner world of the subject.
Soth, A. (2004). Sleeping by the Mississippi. [Photobook].
Elinor Carucci - Closer
Elinor Carucci
Closer
2002
Photobook
Elinor Carucci’s Closer is an intimate exploration of her family life, capturing moments of tenderness, conflict, and emotional vulnerability. Carucci’s raw, emotional style creates a sense of closeness, making the viewer feel as though they are part of the intimate moments she depicts. Carucci’s focus on intimacy and vulnerability influences how I approach personal spaces and relationships in my portraits. Her use of close-up framing to capture emotional intensity encourages me to think about how I can create a sense of immediacy and emotional connection in my work, especially in domestic settings.
Carucci, E. (2002). Closer. [Photobook].
Atmosphere & Home
Todd Hido - Homes at Night
Todd Hido
Homes at Night
2001
Series
Todd Hido's "Homes at Night" captures the look of a suburban home illuminated by artificial light at night, creating an atmosphere of stillness and solitude. Hido uses light and shadow to evoke a sense of mystery and isolation, revealing the unseen side that may exist in familiar community Spaces. In my exploration of light and mood, Hido's work has had a major influence on how I create atmosphere. His use of light and shadow encouraged me to focus on how to evoke emotional depth in the Spaces I photographed, capturing hidden emotions that might not be direct
Hido, T. (2001). Homes at Night. [Series].
Gregory Crewdson - Beneath the Roses
Gregory Crewdson
Beneath the Roses
2003–2008
Series
Gregory Crewdson’s Beneath the Roses is a large-scale, cinematic exploration of suburban life, using meticulous staging and controlled lighting to create scenes that feel both familiar and surreal. His work captures moments of tension and ambiguity, revealing the emotional complexity of everyday environments. Crewdson’s ability to create emotional depth within domestic spaces influences how I think about composing my own images. His attention to atmosphere and his use of light to enhance the narrative have pushed me to think more carefully about how I stage my own photographs, even when working in more naturalistic settings.
Crewdson, G. (2003–2008). Beneath the Roses. [Series].
Jeff Wall - The Destroyed Room
Jeff Wall
The Destroyed Room
1978
Exhibition
Jeff Wall’s The Destroyed Room is a staged photograph of a room torn apart, using the destruction of the space as a metaphor for inner turmoil. Wall’s highly constructed, cinematic images blur the line between reality and fiction, inviting viewers to question the emotional and symbolic weight of the space. Wall’s approach to constructing narratives through space influences how I think about the role of domestic environments in conveying emotional depth. His ability to manipulate a space to tell a symbolic story encourages me to think more critically about how personal spaces can hold deeper, often hidden meanings.
Wall, J. (1978). The Destroyed Room. [Exhibition].
Rinko Kawauchi - Illuminance
Rinko Kawauchi
Illuminance
2011
Photobook
Rinko Kawauchi’s Illuminance captures fleeting moments of light, color, and texture, using a poetic, delicate approach to explore the beauty of everyday life. Her work focuses on the subtle interplay of light and form, creating images that evoke a sense of calm and introspection. Kawauchi’s sensitivity to light and atmosphere aligns with how I approach creating mood in my work. Her ability to evoke deep emotional responses from simple, quiet moments encourages me to think more carefully about how light and space can be used to create a sense of introspection and emotional resonance.
Kawauchi, R. (2011). Illuminance. [Photobook].
My undergoing project
A farewell letter to winter
2024 Yuhang Wang
After I moved from the city centre to the suburbs, I experienced the impact of
this change in a profound way. I left the familiarity of my residence, separated
from my former roommate, and had to deal with a new, unfamiliar
environment. This experience wasn't the only one that my friends had similar
experiences with. In an unfamiliar city, a room of one's own, especially in the
cold winter, becomes a warm harbour. It is not only a spiritual comfort, but
also an important proof that we have left traces of our lives in this city.
I hope to use the language of photography to deconstruct and tell the stories
that happened in this winter. Each photograph is my delicate record of these
experiences - be it people, objects, or those hidden emotions. My lens will
capture the moments that surface with the arrival of winter, freezing the
memories that will soon fade away. Against the backdrop of this cold winter,
these stories seem particularly profound.
