Valerie Green: Within & Without Digital Barriers

        Experimental photographer Valerie Green’s inspiration for her 2014 exhibition came from an act of love in the age of tech. Her boyfriend gave her the honor of peeling the protective film off his brand new iPhone 4s. It was when she idly stuck the film onto the moonroof of her car that she found the subject for her work, Look Up (2014).  This gesture, giving away the satisfying sensation of christening an expensive smartphone, led to Green’s creation of a photo series that addresses our physical relationship with technology.

        Green shows the viewer scenes of the fickle Los Angeles sky through several filters:  her moonroof, the iPhone protective film, and her camera lens. She uses the protective film’s ghostly outline to gently juxtapose technology with nature. The image also reminds the viewer of the barrier that personal technology and mobile devices can create between us and the physical world.

      Wanting to highlight the several layers found within the photos, Green laminated her prints rather than framing them under glass. Since the photographs emphasize the barriers between us and the outside world, she wanted to make sure “there was nothing in between the viewer and the photograph.”

        In her works, Green experiments with the concept of photography itself, from the minute pixels of a digital screen to the universality of photography through phone cameras. The latter is also explored in Look Up, as Green shot each photo on the iPhone 4s, the same model that the protective film came from. Using photo-editing software, Green’ photos aim to manipulate several layers of space: three-dimensional space, image space, and virtual space.

        She brings attention to the possibilities of mobile devices to widen our knowledge and understanding of the world. At the same time, she reminds us that authentic experiences lie beyond our digital viewfinders.



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