The Second
Abstract/Description/Artist Statement
This photographic series explores the gruesome possibility of gun violence at my college campus. Being an active student makes you not only think about the assignments you have due, studying for exams, making time to hang out with your friends, but also how many seconds it will take you to escape to the nearest exit if there is an active shooter. For this series, I asked random students to perform for the camera by lying down where they were and pretending to be dead. This performance is not only about the poses of the students, but the implications of training for an active shooter since pre-K. Seeing lifeless bodies in environments that are meant for learning is nothing new at this point in time. This sad reality can happen at any school, at any time, due to the lack of regulation under the Second Amendment. The Second deals with the reality of students in the United States, during a time when this nation is running on hate and confusion. This confusion causes people to find power in hurting others through forms of misinformation, ignorance, and violence. The figures in this piece are to be remembered as all the faceless percentages that are affected by the lack of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”.
Faculty Advisor/Mentor
Jamie Robertson
Faculty Advisor/Mentor Email
jvrobert@odu.edu
Faculty Advisor/Mentor Department
Art Department
College/School Affiliation
College of Arts & Letters
Student Level Group
Undergraduate
Presentation Type
Art/Creative Work
Choice_The-Second-2.jpg (542 kB)
Choice_The-Second-3.jpg (303 kB)
Choice_The-Second-4.jpg (1255 kB)
The Second
This photographic series explores the gruesome possibility of gun violence at my college campus. Being an active student makes you not only think about the assignments you have due, studying for exams, making time to hang out with your friends, but also how many seconds it will take you to escape to the nearest exit if there is an active shooter. For this series, I asked random students to perform for the camera by lying down where they were and pretending to be dead. This performance is not only about the poses of the students, but the implications of training for an active shooter since pre-K. Seeing lifeless bodies in environments that are meant for learning is nothing new at this point in time. This sad reality can happen at any school, at any time, due to the lack of regulation under the Second Amendment. The Second deals with the reality of students in the United States, during a time when this nation is running on hate and confusion. This confusion causes people to find power in hurting others through forms of misinformation, ignorance, and violence. The figures in this piece are to be remembered as all the faceless percentages that are affected by the lack of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”.