Bram Stocker's Chair Series

Artist: Sam Taylor Wood

Title: Bram Stocker's Chair Series

Sam Taylor Wood is a very unique photohgrapher. I chose this certain piece from her Bram Stocker's Chair series because it caught my special attention for several reasons. The first being her uncanny ablility to confuse the eye in what appears to be an optical illusion. You are able to see the shadow of the girl, but not of the chair. As a graphic artist I have special appreciation for this technique. I also was drawn to the use of space. The girl is closer to a horizontal position than a vertical one, yet Wood still took a portrait style photo. She was successful in maintaining all the space and balancing the white wall with the dark shadow of the girl. Also, she didn't crop anything out of the photo; the chair is almost cut off but the full figure still stands which keeps the balance of her shadow all the way on the right almost cut off. The content alone stood out the most for me. This series contains only four photos, each having a different pose with the same girl and the same chair. It's also interesting to note that in all the photos, her face is never showing. It's almost as if her shadow is showing more personality than she is. Overall, I found this entire series very interesting, creative, and innovated. Her unique use of space, contrast, and content keep the viewer engaged constantly while also providing closure to the entire photo and work. Well done!