This M.F.A. thesis visually examines aspects of the role that television has come to play in our homes. I take an aesthetic look at how we have adapted to its presence by using the TV set as the central object of a personal history shrine.
The two photographic genres that are employed in this work are the formal portrait and the fabricated image. Color portraits, which comprise the majority of the images in this body of work, consist of individuals posed beside their most watched television set as if it has become the newest member of the family. These portraits highlight significant details of their home TV viewing environment.
Larger, fabricated images depict my personal vision of private moments in front of the television. By utilizing models, props and an array of lighting techniques, I create a photographic performance in the attempt to understand the pervasive experience of television as it is revealed in the private moments of our lives.