The frame of the camera exists as a collector, a matchmaker, or the eye of the storm. Relationships and stories are formed and broken within the confines of the photograph, implying a continuum.



The mind naturally seeks to fix these interrupted narratives, drawing from memory and experience to find familiar territory and possess the space. The unique relationship that the viewer has to the photograph’s elements create the point of departure for an extrapolated interpretation. The artifact of this personal orientation within the image is a new narrative. This is the inspiration for Maelstrom. The cognitive, perceptual, and creative interplay between the viewer and the image reveals a space that does not begin and end within the frame.



This book uses vernacular imagery from the Visual Studies Workshop Collection.