This webpage was used for a lecture in my Mixed Media class, so it's not really an essay per se, its more lecture notes with general information and timeline. I haven't cleared the rights to any of these reproductions so feel free to use them in an academic environment. Also be reminded this page was originally created in 1997 and many things could have happen since then.

As a photographer I have often struggled to pull my images out and into three dimensions. I admire the Starn Brothers for their innovative and highly successful experiments in photographic sculpture. When I was working on my Urban Legends series the Starn brothers' work was never far from my mind.

Biography-

Born 1961, college-, grad school-, Boston based.
"We've been photographing since we were 13….." Doug.

Work-

2 in 1- the twins work as if they were 1 person (note self portrait) .

post modernism- non binary (working out side the meta narrative of photography.
Destroying the Renaissance and Modernist idea of the artist as singular and all powerful creator.
They know no other way.

The twins "destroy" they negatives and paper (note those)

Again they are working out side of photography's meta narrative.
Exposing and alluding to process and creator(s)
Morning the loss of innocence.
Quote "To us art can't be diminished…"

Now the twins have been focusing their energies making sculptural photographs.

Again they are working with postmodern ideas, by making the traditional medium of photography into 3 dimensions.
Contrasting humanism and science - reflected with their industrial design.
For the hell of it.

Of course the twins talk about all sorts of other things in their work.

Controlled Chaos- more recent works
Art history- Raft of the Medusa
Japanese culture and shintoism.

Now-

The Starn Twins are moving and shaking the art establishment right now and they seem to have a bright future ahead of them.

Short films- taped together and "aged"
They still have to finish a lot of they're massive pieces.

 


Lily


Lily


Plant



Rembrandt



Sea Scape



Starn Self Portrait




Triple Christ



Amaterasu


Burning a Hole in the Roof


Too Much Heaven

Bibliography

Barthes, Roland. Roland Barthes on Photography. Gainesville, FL. University Press of Florida

Gilbert, Rita. Living with Art..New York, NY. McGraw-Hill.1992.

Hunter, Sam. Modern Art. New York, NY. Prentice Hall. 1992.

Rosenblum, Naomi. A World History of Photography. New York, NY. Abbeville Press. 1997.

 

Web Pages

www.visualradio.com/Photoarts/fop/strarns.html

www.isvinteractive.com/starntwins/starns.htm

www.eye.net/Arts/Art/1992/

 

(C) 1997 Sarah Wichlacz