Department of Photography and Imaging alum Ian Farrell (BFA '14) was recently interviewed by online magazine Allegory Ridge about the inspiration and creative process behind his collage work. His collages, "well-balanced compositions that offer a whimsical sense of magic and color," repurpose vintage imagery and revolve around strong female figures.
As Farrell said,
I work a lot off of nostalgia and sentiment, and I think using imagery that physically looks dated is more in tune with that to put it simply. I think there's something really exciting about working with imagery that has such a history, whether that be known or unknown. I also grew up in a household that was pretty saturated with vintage and antiquey aesthetics, which contributes a lot to the type of imagery I pull.
I grew up in a pretty female-centric environment, so it just makes a bit more sense for me to gravitate towards incorporating more feminine ideals into my work. While I know there's a lot of ground to explore other areas and to possibly navigate a bit away from so much feminine imagery, it's an approach that I'm used to and that has my surefire devotion.
Click below to read the full interview, and follow Farrell on Instagram.