Eden Buxton
Photography Emphasis


The idea of strangeness has always fascinated me.  In my first series "Untitled," through my images, I have created the middle portion of a narrative. I want the viewer to insert the beginning and the end of the story. The use of strangeness is what gives this series the potential to be a "tale."

There have always been guidelines that have been created for our world to differentiate what is considered to be "outside of the box."  In every generation, there have always been these rules.  In the first stages of photography, it was uncommon to smile, and now it is uncommon not to smile in a photograph.  Who creates these rules? Our society deems certain appearances to be unnatural, or even supernatural.  I have wanted to capture slight peculiarities that cause viewers to question what they are seeing;  minor tweaks to a scene can cause confusion and discomfort, and that is exactly my goal.  This can include facial expression, clothing, or lack of, or anything else that is considered to be "strange."

Another reason I am so intrigued by this idea is the definition of beauty.  Characteristics of a person, subject, or scene are believed to be beautiful.  If something is out of place or out of the norm in an image, is it more or less so beautiful?  Do the abnormalities make you question the image?  If so, why? By showing a viewer my photographs, I want to find if they have the same questions as me.

In my diptych "Daub Diptych," I also confront these questions through different tactics.  By using motion and color to create a painterly scene, it creates a surreal world.  In these images, I have attempted to resemble something more dreamlike.  Because of the appearance of the images, it questions the reality of the subject matter, therefore causing you to question what you are seeing.