If people is more attracted by something visible and tangible, the photos of Suzanne are the perfect instrument to highlight and spread a specific message. And if they are also able to create discomfort, being a strong piece of reality, it is even better
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I think that the most effective visual social change campaigns are the ones that make you uncomfortable and upset, but still have strong composition—that’s the recipe for real social change because you’re not going to be able to stop thinking about something that is both beautiful and upsetting. - S. Brown
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When we talk about Suzanne Brown, we deal with and artist and a photographer enrolled at the Temple University in Philadelphia, which is also the city where she currently lives and works. Since her childhood, Suzanne has been a creative person, involved by drawings and photography, which has been her focus for years, until today.
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Inspired by miscellaneous sources, from her grandfather to the Led Zeppelin, from Stephen King to the everyday reality itself, she is full of resources and an artist very engaged with socio-political topics. In fact, capturing a face or a detail at the right time in the right place, she is interested in showing themes like sexual and racial abuses, but also poverty.
If people is more attracted by something visible and tangible, the photos of Suzanne are the perfect instrument to highlight and spread a specific message. And if they are also able to create discomfort, being a strong piece of reality, it is even better.
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Author Silvia Colombo
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L.A.: Suzanne can you tell us about your first approach to photography?
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Suzanne Brown: I remember being into art for forever, but the first time I really remember getting into photography was when I was about 7 years old and I went on a cross-country road trip with my brother and father. We had a huge collection of disposable cameras and I just remember tearing into them. My family was always really encouraging with me taking them into the water and holding them underneath magnifying glasses and doing all kinds of experiments to distort the images. I was instantly drawn to photography but my mom really pushed me to keep playing with it as I got older.
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L.A.: What does photography mean to you or what is your statement as a photographer?
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Suzanne Brown: My work is inspired by social issues that reach every community, such as sexism, racism, and poverty. It expresses how I--as a caucasian female student in America--am exposed to and affected by these problems. By using traditional photo-processing and painting techniques in juxtaposition with slightly off-putting details, I hope to explore what it means to be beautiful and good (for both a males and females) and to explore the limits of sexualizing the human form. Through these processes, I find myself finally able to express the difficulty of taking a stance on today’s contemporary issues.
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L.A.: How do you choose what or who to photograph, what are you looking to capture?
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Suzanne Brown: Honestly, I’m not really sure what I’m looking to capture yet, I just know that I feel the need to capture something and I guess my photos are like the bread trail to whatever it is. I just photograph whatever feels right to me at the moment and then laugh at most of the photos I take later.
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L.A.: Do you have a favorite shot in this series? If so, which one and why?
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Suzanne Brown: I feel like I have seen them all so many times that I’m immune to them. With that being said, of all of my work, either Range or Emma are probably my favorites because they were the first photographs that I took that made me feel like I wasn’t making a mistake in pursuing art. They were the first photos that seemed to get real reactions.
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Emma
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Self Portrait
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L.A.: How do you think photography can be used to drive social change?
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Suzanne Brown: I think that all visual art is really effective in driving social change. Other forms are definitely important as well, but I feel like it’s easier to attract someone to something that they can see—it’s hard to keep someone focused on listening to a speech or reading a novel about social change. Everyone is attracted to something beautiful, though (or at least something that is eye-catching, whether pretty or ugly) and if you can capture someone’s attention, you have the opportunity to draw them in more and really make them think about what they are looking at without them feeling like you are trying to sell them something. I think this is even more true with photography (and video) because what you are seeing usually tends to be real and sticks with you even longer. Personally, I think that the most effective visual social change campaigns are the ones that make you uncomfortable and upset, but still have strong composition—that’s the recipe for real social change because you’re not going to be able to stop thinking about something that is both beautiful and upsetting.
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L.A.: Are you working on any other projects currently?
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Suzanne Brown: I was working on a nude project called Terrain. All of my camera gear actually got stolen pretty recently, so I’m in the process of recovering from that. I don’t want to become stagnant while I don’t have my normal equipment, so I’ve been trying to experiment with some of my old photos by cutting them up, making collages, and painting over them. I also have an endless supply of disposable cameras and a Brownie so I am building a dark room in an old bomb shelter so that I can develop film myself.
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Range
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