Oops - Edgar Meza

Photogram #1 

Title- Eating spaghetti with Papa Smurf and a guy with the head of a hammer head shark

Theme- Masonic imagery

I created my first photogram using childhood toys to recreate from memory the more identifiable aspects of Masonic iconography. The result of using toys and working from memory lends to a very skewed image of something that is arguably rather important and as a result reads somewhat as a parody. My decision to work with Masonic imagery comes from an old interest that I had acquired as a paranoid teen who spent way too much of his time reading about conspiracy theories. When I finally met a Mason I realized that my fascination was somewhat unwarranted (Spaghetti for dinner at the lodge every Tuesday). The print that I chose to turn in for critique has a wider range of tones than my initial print, the tones are a result of the addition of cotton balls which rest over the paper. 

Photogram #2

Title- An unexpected trip to the Emergeny Room/ My BFF is an idiot

Theme- eating disorder (PICA)

This print consists of several seemingly unrelated objects that create a rather chaotic pictorial. This print came about as an experiment with round and translucent objects which provided some rather ghostly shapes. The theme and title came after the print was dry, it looked similar to an x-ray and I was reminded of a story that a friend of mine confided in me about how she used to swallow cotton balls soaked in olive oil to keep from gaining weight when she was a cheerleader., this behavior reminded me of yet something else, PICA and eating disorder where the person is compelled to eat things like rocks and nails. The title is in reference to an entirely fabricated scenario where someone in perhaps an attempt for attention swallows things that are way cooler than cotton balls like a yoyo for example, also the title may make reference to how big of a dismissive jerk I can be in serious situations. 

Photogram #3

Title- Treachery is not a valid action unless you're working at a Foot Action in a shitty mall

Theme- Surrealism 

For this print I cheated somewhat and used a piece of film from a trailer of a movie to project the word "Finish" onto the paper which had a pipe and cotton balls on it. The image is a nod to Rene Magritte's painting entitled La trahison des images. Asides making that specific reference I was also interested in trying to emulate smoke. The inclusion of the word "Finish" also acts as an announcement to myself and my peer that I perceive myself as finished with the assignment. Put that in your pipe and smoke it and so forth.