In the troubled times of the pandemic, where most students are remote, five advanced photography students remained diligent in the darkroom. “Figuring the Local” is a photography exhibition that explores many thought-provoking topics including intimacy, introspection, and the environment. The students have been working on semester-long darkroom photography projects of their choice and utilize different film cameras from medium and large format cameras to 35MM cameras. It is taught by Gesche Würfel, Teaching Assistant Professor in the Department of Art & Art History at UNC-CH.

             “Figuring the Local Exhibition” features photographs from 5 students with varying themes of the world around them:

• Davia Webb is a senior pursuing a BFA in Studio Art and Art History from Goldsboro, N.C. Her photo series is a self-exploration of the effects of self-isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Focusing on self-portraiture through the lens of a medium format camera, Webb explores her narrative of introspection, and feelings of paranoia and fear.
• Paris Hackett is a junior pursuing studio art and journalism with a minor in African and African American Diaspora Studies from Charlotte, N.C. Her photo series explores the bonds and relationships that surround her. Hackett captures the inner relationships and the intimacies that were challenged and appreciated throughout quarantine.
• Joshua Walker is a junior pursuing history and public policy with a minor in studio art from Durham, N.C. His photo series focuses on the narrative of the emotion of the black man. His work reinforces the ideas of individuality and vulnerability that contrast the monolithic belief of Black men’s lack of emotional intelligence.
• Julie Sun is a junior pursuing photography as well as law and society from Charlottesville, Virginia, while living her early years in Beijing, China, she moved back to the US to attend grade school. Her photo series, Static Dreamscape, focuses on the emotional and mental images created when our mind takes us to places where emotion becomes the centerpiece in the dream. Sun’s work seeks to represent a sense of emotional understanding developed through experiences, that individuals have dealt with collectively but through her perspective.
• Jack Boucher is a sophomore majoring in geological sciences from Rocky Mount, NC. His photo series emphasizes the interaction of people and nature. He attempts to document people’s time outdoors as well as the beauty of nature even in the most mundane of places.

Figuring the Local is an exhibition that brings community members together to recognize and appreciate the hard work and dedication of these five students. The exhibition will be open to the public during Epilogue’s normal business hours located on the website. The event space is courtesy of Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews.

This project was supported by the Beatrice B. Pearman Undergraduate Research Fund in Art – Department of Art & Art History, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.