Photography is such an interesting and relatively new art. The word itself is derived from greek roots and can be simplified to mean "drawing with light." The first permanent image was recorded in 1825 by French inventor Nicéphore Niépce (gotta love the French) making it a much younger form when comparing it to the classical arts.
They presented a line of images that to the naked and untrained eye may seem thematically disconnected. Although I could appreciate and react the images from a variety of different angles, I struggled to make sense to decipher some sort of cohesiveness. However, in their artist language and artistic philosophy, they were connected by their search to exhibit the "sublime."
Straight from dictionary (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sublime):
Pronunciation: \sə-ˈblīm\
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French sublimer, from Medieval Latin sublimare to refine, sublime, from Latin, to elevate, from sublimis
Date: 14th century[French sublimer, from Latin sublimare]
a (1) : to elevate or exalt especially in dignity or honor (2) : to render finer (as in purity or excellence)
b : to convert (something inferior) into something of higher worth
From wikipedia: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sublime_(philosophy))
In aesthetics, the sublime (from the Latin sublimis ([looking up from] under the lintel, high, lofty, elevated, exalted) is the quality of greatness or vast magnitude, whether physical, moral, intellectual, metaphysical, aesthetic, spiritual or artistic. The term especially refers to a greatness with which nothing else can be compared and which is beyond all possibility of calculation, measurement or imitation.
When thought of it as a verb rather than an adjective, it is something we do. In the artists language and communicative style, they were turning things into the sublime according to their own aesthetic and artistic values. For the viewer, we had to search for it, and the exercise exposed some of our own judgements and limits. The photography was not stereotypically "pretty" but required sometimes a strong response as it sometimes (but not always) contained violent and sexual overtones. It could be offensive to some.
My take away: as a verb, we have the ability to view beyond content and find the sublime in these works, sometimes it is readily available, some times we have to work to uncover it. This in turn opened a new life philosophy: finding beauty in the most unexpected of places and situations.
It's all about attitude.
I am providing a link to the artists website below. The content may be difficult for some to experience.
