Visiting Artist Lecture: Brian Ulrich 10-14-09

I enjoyed how much Brian Ulrich's work really got my brain ticking. Here it is 3 hours later and I'm still thinking about his work. I can relate with his scientific approach to document while creating art. I particularly connected with his Ghost Box and Dead Mall series because they were particularly beautiful landscapes and (so far) fairly free of inhabitants. I also believe this series is stronger than both the Retail and Thrift chapters because these two really bolster each other and are not as conceptually strong without the other. The Dark Store, Ghost Box, and Dead Mall chapter speaks to the panic concerning our economy and doesn't rely on either other chapter to strengthen its concept.

I appreciated the process and the evolution of picture/camera quality that evolved with every chapter of his work. He examines first the outer layer and works inward to finally explore the inhabitants of every environment. I also felt like he took an overkill topic (our economy, consumerism, etc) and made it new and thought provoking. It was great that he cited websites as one of his main vehicles of research. The internet has changed every aspect of our lives, and he taps into our need to connect with society through widespread similarities and the concern of paranoia- particularly in our economy.

I thought of a question after the lecture that I would have really liked to ask. How does the dwindling economy effect children today? I particularly remember visiting a mall near my grandparents house in Staunton, Va when I was a kid (we must be talking elementary school and maybe even before). The mall was always SO empty, especially compared the our busy malls up in Northern Virginia. On a level I understood that the age group and income level of people living in Staunton compared to Nova was not the same. It was never something I verbally acknowledged or even asked my parents about. Now I find myself wondering why. I never would have thought it was part of what is happening now. Even the malls in Northern Virginia have empty stores now. Working at Ritz Camera, I too have experience three store closings within the last year alone. This issue has been on my mind a lot more lately and Ulrich's presentation leaves me asking more questions. Do children today know what is happening? Is it something parents don't want to explain for fear of spreading their stress or worries to their children? Are kids asking questions? DO WE REALLY HAVE THAT MUCH TO WORRY ABOUT OR IS THIS ALL BEING BLOWN OUT OF PROPORTION?! At first I thought most of the worry was created by the media, but after a firsthand experience I'm not sure what to believe.

Ulrich's work: