For my senior thesis, I produced a body of work that was largely influenced by Frank Warren's PostSecret phenomenon & by the confessionals from Jim Goldberg's Rich and Poor. Leaving the traditional 35mm camera aside, I chose to tackle a large-format view camera for the first time. I asked subjects to provide a secret, & to select a location that was of personal significance. Everyone used onion skin paper, a Sharpie black pen, & wrote their secrets in an altered handwriting to maintain privacy. Secrets were delivered to a central drop-off. The results culminated in a senior exit show. A unique dark space was created for the exhibit installation, allowing the photographs to be projected, with the secrets being played on audio loop.

The purpose of this project was to portray the diverse Emory community while allowing a chance to disclose an aspect that they would normally feel too inhibited to reveal. In doing so, a part of the Emory community is unveiled. The dichotomy of public vs private personas provide the opportunity to exhibit the depths of these individuals among us, yet respecting their privacy by creating a collective work that detaches secrets directly from visage. Through engaging with this documentary project, the audience will discover the beauty & truth that exists within campus.

← RETURN