Reaching - Bradley University Photography Capstone Students

Reaching is the Bradley University Photography Senior Capstone exhibition showcasing work from artists Chrissy Boisvert, Dasha Duffy, Robert Morin, and Kristen Valley. While each artists’ mediums and subjects differ, they all share similar examinations of reaching for connection, understanding, and remembrance. Boisvert’s series features self portraits printed on interactive three-dimensional objects that the viewer can touch, wear, look through, and manipulate, breaking the barrier that usually stands between art and the observer.

Just as the viewer desires to reach out and touch the art, the art desires to reach out and touch the viewer back. Morin’s imagery sheds light onto the ephemeral nature of memories and the subconscious. Imagery coupled with an auditory experience explores discomfort, inner tension, uncertainty, and remembrance, seeking to deepen our understanding of the psyche. The imaginative nature of this series is discovered instead of captured. In the broader context of this exploration, Robert unearths inner trials and fluctuating emotions from both the past and the present. Duffy’s series represents universal experiences such as grief, love, and new adventures through collages of personal objects and recognizable iconography paired with inspirational phrases that can resonate with the viewer’s own experiences. Valley’s series highlights the connection between location and memories, using images collected over the last four years to show how memories breathe life into the spaces in which they were created. Overall, this exhibition investigates the impermanence of time, the lasting impressions of memory, and the barriers that inhibit connection.