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Abstract

This research project explores how the photography of street art can
contribute to the understanding of place. This argument is supported
through an examination of techniques and concepts utilized by a
range of photographers who have practiced social documentation. The
research aims to demonstrate how the photography of street art can
reflect social, cultural, and natural identities that are unique to specific
environments.
The background to this project is located in the tradition of social
documentary in the work of mid 20th century photographers such as
Walker Evans, Robert Frank, and Manuel Alvarez Bravo. The exegesis
explores these artists’ abilities to capture the vernacular elements that
characterize specific locations. The exegesis discusses the
arrangement of elements within individual photographs, as well as the
arrangement of the photographs in series, and specifically how these
strategies provide a social and political commentary. The project is
further contextualized by a range of contemporary color
photographers including Joel Sternfeld, Steven Shore, Jeff Laio, and Jeff
Whetstone, demonstrating the potential for color to contribute to an
exploration of place within social documentary photography
The result of the research is a collection of photographs that describe
differences in a range of social landscapes by comparing styles and
techniques in street art from three different countries: Australia, South
Africa, and the United States. The thesis exhibition consists of a series
of large scale photographic prints that depict street artworks in their
surrounding context, including people and natural or built
environments. In these photographs, street art is the dominant form of
vernacular expression. It embodies the visual characteristics of
environments undergoing pronounced change. These photographs
form a narrative concerned with the social, political, and natural
identities of a place.

Item Type:	Thesis - Research Master
Authors/Creators:	Thomashow, JE
Keywords:	Photography of street art
Additional Information:	Copyright The Author. MFA
Item Statistics:	View statistics for this item

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