Alums - Duke MFAEDA

lisa mccarty

artist statement:

The aim of my project is an aspiration as old as photography itself: to render the perceivable and the phenomenological in a picture. I’m not always sure what this might look like, but I am always seeking opportunities to find out. I do not plan what I want to photograph, I simply walk, look attentively, and wait to be consumed by the conditions of a moment. Anything I might be able to capture in this pursuit is dependent on the use of film— its aptitude for instability, its capacity to leave me in suspense, its promise to transcribe light into a tangible form; these qualities are imperative to the work.

what did you love about Duke's MFA in Experimental and Documentary Arts?

The name. In addition to attracting a diverse array of image makers the name of our program definitively reflects this cohorts interests and working processes. An MFA in Experimental and Documentary Arts- on first read, seemingly paradoxical. Consider it further and you’ll realize, as we all have, this is the most exciting and relevant context to be working toward today if you wield a lens. Our name reflects our philosophy and immediately invites practical and conceptual discussion on the nature of pictures, both moving and still.

graduation date: 2013

Lisa McCarty, St Mary’s Church, Elham Village, Kent, England.