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Representations of Latin American Immigrant Laborers

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Representations of Latin American Immigrant Laborers Representations of Latin American Immigrant Laborers: Documentary in the Digital Age ________________________________________ Marilyn Waligore, Chair ________________________________________ Stephen Rabe ________________________________________ Shilyh Warren ________________________________________ Erin Smith ________________________________________ Creative Dissertation: Draft Proposal Representations of Latin American Immigrant Laborers: Documentary in the Digital Age Introduction This creative dissertation will examine the place of social documentary photography in the digital age through an exhibition of photographs documenting immigrant laborers in North Texas. The photographic project will be accompanied by a scholarly essay, which will situate the photographic works within a historical and cultural context of 21st century state border politics and the tradition of social documentary photographs of immigrants and the working class since the late 19th century. My images will challenge social realist images of immigrant laborers, Commented [GJ1]: The proposal gives a clear statement of purpose as well as defines the scope of the creative historically created by rhetoric, that produce the immigrant laborer as merely a worker rather dissertation. than as an individual with a story. In contrast to the dominant tradition of stark realism long associated with social documentary photography, the photographs in this project will be digital collages constructed onto a large 30”x40” white background. The images within the frame will Commented [GJ2]: The proposal clearly explains the creative part of the dissertation. be comprised of a formal portrait of the individual dressed in their best clothes, text covering current wage statistics or work information, maps of the sitter’s home country, and an appropriated traditional ‘straight’ documentary photograph of laborers involved in the same occupation as the sitter. Instead of only including a simple portrait or presenting the laborer while doing their work, the additional information will offer further insight into the individuals portrayed. In this way, I challenge social documentary conventions, which position the photographer as witness to an event and instead will produce both a photographic subject who takes ownership of their own representation and a more engaged viewer. My goal is to challenge the way the immigrant is seen in contemporary culture. Commented [GJ3]: The student shows how the creative dissertation will make a unique contribution. The use of the word ‘document’ in photography was first adopted by Parisian Commented [WM4]: Keywords are concisely defined. photographer Eugene Atget at the beginning of the 20th century and in the 1920s by the Scottish 2 filmmaker John Grierson to apply to nonfiction films about reality.1 The word derives from the Latin docere meaning to teach. Historically, a documentary photographer bears witness to an event and then employs the image to teach the world about certain truths, which society can choose to support. Like so many before me, I harness the power of documentary photography as a vehicle for representing certain truths about immigrant laborers. However, unlike the traditional use of the documentary photograph, my images will be thoughtfully considered with meticulously assembled compositions created with the aid of the computer after the initial shot. Commented [GJ5]: The student shows what the creative approach shares in common with other artistic creations but also explains how the dissertation will depart from previous These images will serve as a visual method of enlightening viewers about the people who mow creations. lawns, construct homes, clean offices, or help raise children. Instead of merely identifying a worker, the subject will return the gaze while at the same time appearing in their best attire. Comparable to Diane Arbus, I will be employing my camera as a leveling tool, bringing an outside audience into the immigrant community with the subject in control of their own depiction. The people I will photograph come from vibrant communities with vast social networks. The photographs included in this creative dissertation will serve as a documentary record of the many hardworking immigrant laborers who usually are relegated to the status of “non-belonging other” and not as an equal. Defining Documentary There are many categories and subgenres within the massive umbrella known as “documentary photography.” According to Arthur Rothstein, who worked for the Farm Security Commented [GJ6]: The student defines the conceptual frame guiding the creative dissertation project. Administration during the 1930s, long-held documentary traditions established the photograph as a vehicle for conveying a social message of truth to its viewer and the photographer as the 1 Rothstein, Arthur. Documentary Photography. Boston: Focal Press, 1986, 1. 3 unbiased, credible witness. 2 Rothstein asserts that a documentary photograph is a simple, realistic one where truths can be revealed and the evidence of the camera, without manipulation, can be used to move and influence viewers. In my dissertation I will challenge the conventions Commented [GJ7]: Again, the student reminds the reader of how the creative dissertation will challenge conventions. established by the documentary tradition that place the photograph as ‘straight,’ while at the same time embracing the tradition of documentary as one which can produce honest photographs. I will argue that a documentary photograph in a contemporary context can be one st that is assembled from multiple images, text, and other graphics. While 21 century audiences Commented [GJ8]: The thesis for the creative dissertation is articulated. are far more skeptical of the veracity of the photograph, I believe that visual information can still be used as a way to move and influence viewers as Rothstein proposes. The creative project will focus on unskilled or semiskilled immigrant workers in occupations such as those in the service industry, construction, lawn care, or domestic service. Included in the creative dissertation will be collaged images that serve as a visual text of labor. Since viewers are inundated with a sea of images every day, an image of a disadvantaged or underrepresented subject will not have the same impact as one accompanied by a story. Each portrait will be shot against a white backdrop parallel to Richard Avedon’s American West series. However unlike Avedon, I am not drawn to fashion and surface appearance, but rather seek to emphasize human presence. Without the context of the work or home environment, the viewer will be confronted with an image of the laborer as a person rather than constrained by a role or stereotype. Viewers will face a person that they may not have otherwise acknowledged when that individual normally appears in a work environment or in a uniform. My goal is to Commented [WM9]: The aim of the dissertation is clearly stated. present a record of hardworking immigrants who deserve dignity and respect as human beings and the opportunity to be seen outside the context of their workplace. To extend and complicate 2 Ibid., 10. 4 how the viewer sees the subject, each portrait will be presented within a digital collage against a mostly white background. My ultimate goal is to adopt the visual language of photography by a creating a narrative about the millions of people discussed in the news, those who serve us on a daily basis. However, instead of marginalizing the laborer by depicting them in their work environment, or in a uniform, they will be dressed in their best attire and will collaborate in the decisions regarding their portrayal. I intend to create an archive to illuminate the face of the unseen worker and to raise their status from insignificant to equal. Commented [GJ10]: The student continues to elaborate and clarify the scope and content of the creative dissertation. Background Social documentary photography has been an extension of my professional life for nearly twenty years. I received a Bachelor of Arts in Photography from Texas A&M-Commerce and a Master of Fine Arts in Photography from the University of North Texas. In addition, I have been teaching photography full-time at Collin College for eight years. Throughout my photographic career, the subject of my work has been the Mexican immigrant and undocumented community. I have a special connection to this subject because my parents are Mexican immigrants. The focus of my most recent body of work, American DREAM, was centered on undocumented college students. Photography served my efforts to raise awareness for the DREAM Act, a bipartisan proposal, which would create a pathway to citizenship for thousands of young students who were brought to the United States as infants and young children.3 For this project, I photographed undocumented college students in their bedrooms to express that these young people exist, and through no fault of their own, are undocumented. Yet, instead of a traditional portrait, one in which the subject’s gaze is directed at the camera, I photographed the students without revealing 3 “The DREAM Act,” accessed July 29, 2014. http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/issues/DREAM-Act. 5 faces so as not to disclose their true identity. Furthermore, some of these sitters share their personal stories, through text included in the images, which amplifies their voice. By adding multiple images and graphics, such as maps, text, and inset frames, a narrative develops within many of the compositions
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