This has been a whirlwind of a year. I began this blog in September and now, in May, I finally have a moment to finish my thoughts. Time has certainly been colliding as I have embarked on my first year of marriage combined with my first year of teaching (more on those adventures later). Before I jump in to all the exciting things happening currently, I want to take a moment to reminisce in the past.
As I reflect back on my undergraduate years, I am fondly reminded about the artworks created and the exhibitions that took place during my final year. My last year of college, before student teaching, was full of creative moments, late nights, and the largest body of work I've created to date. The most time consuming of my projects, that took over a year to complete, was entitled Colliding Time.
It began with the notion of architectural rephotography in five cities, including Chicago, Detroit, London, New York, and Toronto. This survey began as a thesis project for the Honors College at Oakland University; however, when re-examining the photographs for my Studio Art thesis project, I discovered a new meaning. The concept of time represented as a dynamic sensation that is not a singular moment captured in an artwork, but rather the combination of time and space in a fluid continuum is represented in my own artwork. The artwork presented is an image of passed time, the progression in society, and the accumulation of humanity. It parallels two times together, concurrently.
As stated in the introduction of the book, "Time consumes our daily lives and surrounds our past and present. It is defined by modern theories, represented through numerical forms, and captured through photographs. Photographs capture a moment in time, hold it still forever, and cherish its qualities of stillness. But when a photograph is rephotographed, meaning when two photographs are placed on top of each other that have been rephotographed to display the same scene, they extend time and become more than a symbol of their content. They are an image of passed time, the progression in society, and the accumulation of humanity. They parallel two times together concurrently. This rephotographic project displays rephotographs that represent the transformation of time. The aim is for the viewer to see time’s impact by noticing the diversities or similarities in the rephotographs that show how society has progressed, regressed, or passed untouched. The purpose of the photographs displaying “collision” is to emphasize the similarities across time, yet draw attention to the conflict they possess by overlapping."
Time has seemingly overlapped this past year as I have adjusted to full time adulthood and managed the challenging balance between professional life and keeping my inner artist alive. However, as the end of the school year nears, my mind is again open to the endless possibilities of creativity. I have poured my heart and soul into my students this year, which I do not regret in any sense, but I am ready to begin documenting the world around me and uncovering its beauty and complexity.
Artfully,
Nicole Lashar
Gooderham Building, Toronto, Ontario │Source image provided by Blogto│ Nicole Lashar, October 2015
Yonge and Bloor Street, Toronto, Ontario │Source image provided by City of Toronto Archives via Blog To, Approaching Yonge and Bloor, Ellis Wiley, ca. 1971│ Nicole Lashar, October 2015
David Stott Building, Detroit, Michigan │Source image provided by The Detroit News Archives via Historic Detroit, Stott Building, rear right, taken 1964 │ Nicole Lashar, November 2015
Chrysler Building, New York City, New York │Source image provided by Wired New York, Busy day on 42nd Street, July 1945│ Nicole Lashar, August 2015
Adler Planetarium, Chicago, Illinois │Source image provided by Adler Planetarium Opening Day, taken May 12, 1930│ Nicole Lashar, April 2015
The Bank of England, London, England │Source image provided by Topical Press Agency via The Guardian, The Bank of England, London, 1932│ Nicole Lashar, May 2015
Clock Tower, Big Ben, London, England │Source image provided by Antiqua Print Gallery, The Clock Tower and Houses of Parliament, 1896│ Nicole Lashar, May 2015
Dearborn Street Station, Chicago, Illinois │Source image provided by Shorpy Historic Picture Archive Dearborn Street Station, ca. 1910 │ Nicole Lashar, April 2015
Herald Square, New York City, New York │Source image provided by Wired New York, Herald Square Building and Macy's, Irving Underhill, July 1941│ Nicole Lashar, August 2015
St. Paul's Chapel, New York City, New York │Source image provided by Wikimedia Commons, Spring 1979│ Nicole Lashar, August 2015
Bloor Street Near Bay, Toronto, Ontario │Source image provided by City of Toronto Archives via Urban Toronto ca. 1970s │ Nicole Lashar, October 2015
Royal London Hospital, London, England │Source image provided by East London Advertiser, The Old London Hospital, ca. 1890s │ Nicole Lashar, May 2015
Westminster Abbey, London, England │Source image provided by Antiqua Print Gallery, Westminster Abbey -The West front, with St. Margaret's Church and the Victoria Tower, Frith & Co., 1896│Nicole Lashar, May 2015
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, New York │Source image provided by the Hulton Archive via New York Natives, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, H. William Tetlow, 1965│ Nicole Lashar, August 2015
Royal London Exchange, London, England │Source image provided by Geograph │Royal Exchange, Bank Intersection, 1955│ Nicole Lashar, May 2015
The Flatiron, New York City, New York │Source image provided the Library of Congress, Glass negative, Bain News Service, ca.1917 │ Nicole Lashar, August 2015
The Flatiron, New York City, New York │Source image provided the Library of Congress, Glass negative, Bain News Service, ca.1917 │ Nicole Lashar, August 2015
Tower Bridge, London, England │Source image provided by Bishopsgate Institute via ITV, Traffic on Tower Bridge, 1905 │ Nicole Lashar, May 2015
Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, Illinois │Source image provided by the Library of Congress, Michigan Avenue, John Vachon (born 1914), taken July 1940, 35 mm negative │ Nicole Lashar, April 2015
Yonge and Charles Street, Toronto, Ontario │Source image provided by Blog To Yonge Looking North at Charles, 1938│ Nicole Lashar, October 2015
Bay and Wellington, Toronto, Ontario │Source image provided by City of Toronto Archives via Vintage Everyday ca.1966 │ Nicole Lashar, October 2015
The above photographs were on display in 2016 at the Oakland University Art Gallery and then were later moved to the Dean's Office of Oakland University for the six months following. The accompanying book, which can be viewed and purchased, was also displayed alongside the artwork in the gallery.
