Photo Series: Stages of Love

 

 

The photo series I chose to do is the “Kitchen Table Series” by Carrie Mae Weems. The photos I chose to replicate showed in my opinion stages of love or stages of a relationship. These photos stood out to me because they convey so much emotion and a story even if they seem to not be related.  This series shows how relationships go through stages, with the first photo showing the intense warmth and love you have when you first start a relationship. It is about wanting to hold your partner in your arms and never let them go. The next photo is about being together at home, the feelings of being together through such a mundane thing as dinner but still having that strong love. The third photo represents complacency in the relationship, just being next to each other, there is no interaction between the two. This is when there is a turn in the relationship or the love after being together for some time. The fourth photo represents the looming feeling of a breakup, where there is no love left and it feels as if they are stuck in this same cycle at this same table doing the same old routine. The last photo shows the sadness and feeling of loneliness, especially when the relationship has ended and there is no way left to prove the love which was once there.

I also chose thise photo series to recreate as it shows a sense of intimacy and a feeling of something which should not be seen as it is in the privacy of the home, at the kitchen table.

 It gives us an insight to the daily view of other people’s lives something we do not normally see. In the NY Times article How Carrie Mae Weems Rewrote the Rules of Image-Making, it states “She’s created new narratives around women, people of color and working-class communities, conjuring lush art from the arid polemics of identity.” She helped give us narratives to see even if we may all see different narratives from these photos, but we are able to see ourselves in them. “Weem’s black-and-white photographs are like mirrors, each reflecting a collective experience,” Revisiting Carrie Mae Weem’s Landmark “Kitchen Table Series”. Carrie Mae Weems really helped to show others themselves through her photos, she gave us an experience as well as a sense of being able to relate to these photos. “Everyone can relate to this work,” Revisiting Carrie Mae Weem’s Landmark “Kitchen Table Series”.  I also feel as if this work is very realistic since I feel as if most of people’s day to day interactions at home happen at the kitchen table and this feels very personal. Overall, I really enjoyed making this photo series as it helped me pinpoint a story to go along with the series.