I have been working on an on-going series of hand-embroidered photographs based on found elementary school class pictures from the 1970s. The class photos are from big cities and small towns throughout the United States but, despite their varied locations, the poses of children and teachers, classroom decorations, and clothing are strikingly similar providing a glimpse into the zeitgeist of the this generation and a view into education systems of the time. In the class photographs, the faces of the students, or what would normally be the main focal points of the image, are obscured with cross-stitch embroidery made to resemble the digital pixel structure of the image and sewn directly into the photograph. By obscuring what would typically be the most important parts of the image, overlooked details are brought into focus such as body language, other embodiments of social convention and the relationship between the various figures.
about the artist
Diane Meyer is a Los Angeles based artist. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. Her work is in the permanent collections of the George Eastman Museum; Clarinda Carnegie Museum, the Hood Museum, and the the Museum of Contemporary Photography,…
