Photography is inherently constructed. The tension stemming from the essential ambiguity of an image extracted from time and space provides the raw material for “First Impression.” I believe that our eyes and minds gather visual information from photographs to then create a larger story. A picture of the ground strewn with detritus and a teddy bear might initially remind us of a picture of an astronaut because of our previous knowledge and experiences. We live in a construction of errors that becomes supported by images and first impressions. An unprecedented surface might evoke moon because of the scientific theories and pictures to which we have been exposed. Photography can extract an answerless question from a common event: as one’s body position and its observer’s perspective change, the existence of gravity might become unfamiliar. I hope that my photographs grow over time in the imagination of viewers. The response or rather, the responsiveness of the viewer is what grows into their own story. The askew angles of my camera and the off-beat framings contribute to the inherent tension and ambiguity in the darkness of images.

Wendy Meryem Kural Shaw

All images ©Sinem Disli