I have been shooting and trying to organize more of my thoughts around home. I have been interviewing friends asking them what home means for them and what 4 objects they would pick that represent home for them. Then I have been photographing the objects. Working on how the images can work together does there need to be text from the interviews? or does this exercise just further inform my work and project. I am also still interested in the lamps that I have been shooting in my family homes and mine. Wondering how I can push that idea can there be series of images done of objects that bring about comfort in the home such as tables, beds, couches, etc? It has been interesting talking with friends with specific questions to be answered about home. Gets me thinking more about my own ideas of home which I still struggle with but I feel this exercise gets me out of my head a little. I am excited about where it could go and love that my mentor has been challenging me conceptually as well as with the installation of the work.
Yesterday I went the the Isabella Stewart Gardner to see the Luisa Rabbia show Travels with Isabella, Travel Scrapbooks 1883/2008 I loved the use of photographs turned into a video with drawings and music added to the work. The combination of the two media was beautiful. I am working on putting lectures into my calender and trying to find a weekend for a museum/gallery visit to NYC.
This week I am trying to get my paper organized and written. I also need to make some changes to my critical theory paper but after being at the Gardner I am making a new round of connections between home and the museum. Since that was her home and it is now a museum.

It's that crazy time of the year however, I feel much better about the balance I have this year than last year. While things are hectic I feel more comfortable balancing grad school with full time teaching. Last week classes started and I was away with middle school students for 3 days and 2 nights. Now it's back to a full week of teaching.
Went to the library last weekend and took out a bunch of books. Shellburne and I met on August 28th. I had made some images of my old and new apartment empty and full, the images aren't really working but are getting me to the next level...I hope. (should be on flickr soon) We also spoke about images of zoomed in lamps from my different homes I'm excited about them and they seem to be more successful. While I still seem to have a lot of questions I'm feeling good about where the work can go. Shellburne and I discussed me interviewing people about what they think of home and choosing objects within their living space that create that sense of home for them. I'm excited about this project. A discussion of installation was helpful to, as I feel the installation of the work is important. Some of the questions I still have milling around in my head are:
Why do I photograph home?
Now where do I go? What is my intention?
Collection, home, place, and space are words that seem to fill my brain.
I need to spend some more time with my thoughts and really work on more thoroughly answering more of my questions.