VIS 167 | Social Engagement in Photography | UCSD | Spring 2014
Weng Kou
Photographic series exploring the “Safe Parking” program in Chula Vista, CA, which provides a safe place to park overnight and supportive services for those who are transitionally homeless: families and individuals forced to live out of their vehicles as a consequence of instability in employment and the lack of affordable housing options in San Diego County. Kou produced this series to raise awareness of the issue and bring attention to the program, which has been facing cuts to funding.
Cris Gonzalez
“As a Mexican-American I’ve struggled significantly with identity…always feeling like I didn’t quite belong on either side of the border. Having no permanent male figures to learn from and nobody to nurture my identity, I turned to a variety of OTHER sources to find my SELF identity. Quite frequently these other sources came from media figures that I observed in movies, music, and magazines. The idea behind my project is to convey my struggle identity… I present my self portrait, a portrait of someone who has formed his identity through the identity of others.”
cHRISTINE cuNHA
A photo-conceptual project exploring alleyways as the “hidden highway of transnational treasure and inglorious left-behinds with gem-like potential.” Cunha explains: “When I found a left-behind that I thought could be used again in a different setting and by a different person, I took a photo of it…" writing on the back of each ”email me and show me where you put the photo and the furniture.” She would then post the photos on the “FREE” section of craigslist, “giving the cross streets and neighborhood” for people to “pick up the free thing and the free photograph that would come along with the free thing.” Cunha describes her intention as capturing/sharing the objects as “aesthetic concoctions.“
VIS 167 FINAL EXHIBITION | NEITHER BEAST NOR GOD
At the end of the course, students shared their work in a collective exhibition titled “Neither Beast, Nor God.” The catalogue for the exhibition, including images of all the projects shown can be found below.