Open Theme nominee

The contrast between isolation and connectedness creates an uncomfortable space that I often occupy. These images represent that aforementioned space. I aim to invoke feelings of familiarity and detachment through seemingly universal spaces that could be anywhere or no place at all. My goal is to create an empathic connection between the audience and myself, drawing in the viewer while keeping them at an outside distance.

Photographing contexts reveal an unconscious conversation between public spaces and myself. I wonder streets with the vague intent of finding contexts that exhibit strong colors, shadows, and negative space. I observe the environment from a distance, collecting data with minimal intrusion, to create a narrative about where I have been.

Nostalgia advances with technology exemplified by the use of retro filter apps that pays homage to artists such as Stephen Shore and William Eggleston, but repeating to excess the social sharing and instability of images a la the Polaroid camera. Prints are tangible in a way that contemporary images are not; the same way that connection with another person differs when mediated by a screen. Although the feeds of phones are loud there is a quietness brought about by peering into rectangular boxes.

Joshua Sariñana, PhD, explores the connections between the brain, art, and technology within a humanities framework, earning his neuroscience degrees from UCLA and MIT. His work seeks to blend and expand on these disciplines into new and dynamic interactions. His projects start with concepts informed by network theories, guiding and shaping his endeavors in art, science, and community engagement. He has been awarded multiple grants, including from the Massachusetts Arts Council and the Council for the Arts at MIT for his projects. Sariñana’s photography captures the transformation of mental representations, showcased in exhibitions, including at Aperture Gallery, FOCUS photo l.a., Photoville, and the Griffin Museum of Photography. He has also had solo exhibitions for his series Prosopagnosia, Image of Structure, and Mental Mapping. He has received accolades from the Sony World Photography Awards, Photolucida Critical Mass, and Latin American Fotografía, Sariñana’s photographic work has been featured by Apple and periodicals such as Black & White Magazine, Silvershotz, and BETA developments in photography. Sariñana is also a communications specialist, contributing to publications such as WIRED Magazine and MIT Technology Review and sharing his expertise with the Museum of Science, Boston, and for the Neurohumanities series at Trinity College, Dublin.