Artist: Alyson Belcher

Alyson Belcher has been inspiring/informing me and my work for a couple of years now. Her work is done with a pinhole camera, and combines performance and photography. She often appears multiple times within the frame, and is nearly always interacting with herself in some way. The images appear raw, primitive, emotional, and beautiful. All of her poses draw from her feelings and experiences, and each image tells some part of her story. We all know that I am really into that. . . See her artist statement and work below.

"The Body: My work combines pinhole photography with improvisational performance, and stems from the idea that everything we experience is stored somewhere in our bodies. Movement is one way to access and give visual form to what lies beneath the surface of the skin. The making of these photographs is an exploration of the nature of each movement and where it originates internally.

Because of the unpredictable nature of pinhole photography, there is no way to really know how an image will turn out. I don't usually begin with a clearly defined idea. The images often reveal stories that may or may not have been known to me previously. That doesn't mean that they aren't my stories. Often the body remembers what the mind has forgotten.
The Camera: The pinhole camera is low tech; it is the most basic tool for making a photographic image. There is no lens to interfere with the light as it travels from the subject to the film. Because there is no viewfinder through which to preview the image, it's a relatively blind process.

The element of time in pinhole photography allows something to arise that might never be revealed by modern photographic technology. The long exposure times give me an opportunity to explore the space in front of the camera. I may have the impulse to move, or I may chose to remain still - although the body is never completely still, and even the smallest movements leave traces on the film."

-Alyson Belcher, from her website