The Traveler

Issue date: 4/9/08 Section: Life & Style

Media Credit: Lael Simons Photographs for Katherine Lamar's thesis, entitled "Atget of the Ozarks," are on display in the Anne Kittrell Art Gallery on the 4th floor of the Union. Her work was inspired by the architectural photographer Eugene Atget, whose photos were meant to preserve the architecture of 19th century Paris.

Gazing beneath the decay and rust, UA senior Katherine Lamar captures the heart of a community from the dilapidated and abandoned.

"Atget of the Ozarks," Lamar's solo exhibit and honors thesis project, offers a second look at fallen landmarks in the Ozark region through architectural photography. The exhibit will run until Friday in the Anne Kittrell Art Gallery at the UA Student Union. The opening reception will take place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday at the gallery.

"As a documentary photographer, the main goal of my work is simply to document. I work to produce a photograph that is true to the subject being documented, but is pleasing to the eye as well," Lamar said in her artist statement.

"I have spent the past eight months exploring the Ozarks region and photographing the architecture. I want to preserve the architecture that is in danger of being lost in the future."

One photo she took centers on a rusty doorknob connected to an old, over-painted green door. It begs the questions: Where does this lead? Who were your owners? What's your story?

Other photos strike a familiar chord about places passed by and forgotten, but resurrected in their novelty.

In addition to her studies of photography, the exhibit also shows influence of Lamar's French and European studies.

Lamar attributes her work to the late French photographer Eugene Atget, who is widely known for his work in photographing "Old Paris." Referring to his photographs as "documents," Atget was fond of capturing storefronts and other public places in 19th century Paris and Versailles that later succumbed to rapid urbanization, according to the Getty Museum Web site.

"He wanted to possess as many aspects of the city as possible," Lamar said in the statement. "Atget's photography became a campaign to document and preserve as much of the 'Old Paris' as he could."

Mirroring Atget's efforts, Lamar chose to photograph Arkansas, where she has lived since she was 10 years old, as her subject. She focuses her lenses on buildings in cities such as Cave Springs, Baldwin, Neosha, Greenland, Fayetteville, and Bentonville. She also included photographs of Branson, Miss.

Some of her images seem to serve as an "ode to the mom and pop" as abandoned buildings that stand defiantly, as if they have a right to exist.

"Atget at the Ozarks" encourages thoughts on the effects of expansion and modernization, and provokes what Lamar sees as an "appreciation for the architecture of the Ozarks."

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools