Transcendent
By Danielle Boudet
This body of work depicts ordinary subject matter from the natural world as carefully chosen (and sometimes carefully arranged) moments, frozen in time and space. This forces the viewer to look twice and concentrate longer on something that is generally taken for granted. By manipulating viewpoint and depth of field, for example, or by constructing the scene, I attempt to draw attention to the extraordinary characteristics about something ordinarily overlooked. In this way, I hope to elevate the status of the mundane. The banal becomes sublime; the humdrum exalted. These images explore the notion that with a fresh perspective, even the most taken-for-granted every day objects are awe-inspiring and immensely beautiful.
These photographs continue ideas explored in my previous work as a painter, where I sought to glorify seemingly uninspiring objects to provide new context and meaning. In my attempt to balance my role as an artist with a new and extremely different role as a stay-at-home mother, I have chosen photography as a medium easily accessible in my current busy lifestyle. I now see my process with reimagined meaning, and the dichotomy between two extremes dissolves and becomes more complex. My current work is about value and importance as I question why some things are revered while others are often given little thought.
Women, especially mothers who stay home, have traditionally been placed at the bottom of the social structure. Despite society’s negative connotation of this identity, it has been, for me, the greatest decision I have ever made. Every day brings surprise and breathtaking beauty from the ostensibly mundane. My roles are complex: I am mother, artist, wife, provider, giver, caretaker, creator, teacher, and more. These roles inform everything I do, even when I don’t want them to. It is no accident that the chosen subjects in these photographs share an often-disregarded lot in life. I posit that beauty, glamor, power, and dignity are not separate from simple, plain, and ordinary. If we look closer, beyond face value, we can transcend narrow assumptions about worth. We can learn to appreciate what we previously took for granted.
By Danielle Boudet
This body of work depicts ordinary subject matter from the natural world as carefully chosen (and sometimes carefully arranged) moments, frozen in time and space. This forces the viewer to look twice and concentrate longer on something that is generally taken for granted. By manipulating viewpoint and depth of field, for example, or by constructing the scene, I attempt to draw attention to the extraordinary characteristics about something ordinarily overlooked. In this way, I hope to elevate the status of the mundane. The banal becomes sublime; the humdrum exalted. These images explore the notion that with a fresh perspective, even the most taken-for-granted every day objects are awe-inspiring and immensely beautiful.
These photographs continue ideas explored in my previous work as a painter, where I sought to glorify seemingly uninspiring objects to provide new context and meaning. In my attempt to balance my role as an artist with a new and extremely different role as a stay-at-home mother, I have chosen photography as a medium easily accessible in my current busy lifestyle. I now see my process with reimagined meaning, and the dichotomy between two extremes dissolves and becomes more complex. My current work is about value and importance as I question why some things are revered while others are often given little thought.
Women, especially mothers who stay home, have traditionally been placed at the bottom of the social structure. Despite society’s negative connotation of this identity, it has been, for me, the greatest decision I have ever made. Every day brings surprise and breathtaking beauty from the ostensibly mundane. My roles are complex: I am mother, artist, wife, provider, giver, caretaker, creator, teacher, and more. These roles inform everything I do, even when I don’t want them to. It is no accident that the chosen subjects in these photographs share an often-disregarded lot in life. I posit that beauty, glamor, power, and dignity are not separate from simple, plain, and ordinary. If we look closer, beyond face value, we can transcend narrow assumptions about worth. We can learn to appreciate what we previously took for granted.