on deaf ears (assemblages)
The pinhole images and assemblages in “on deaf ears” are a collaboration between Eric Renner and Nancy Spencer. Twenty years ago, we began constructing assemblages, many of which dealt with social issues of human rights, religion, sexuality, and stereotypes. On a lighter note, we also made assemblages dealing with Mickey Mouse, Elvis, Marilyn, and our own relationship. Our assemblages have been greatly influenced by passages in "The Women's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets" by Barbara G. Walker.
In the summer of 2001, we began photographing segments of our assemblages with a pinhole camera, thus creating a second body of work separate from the assemblages. We did not originally construct the assemblages with the intent of photographing them. In making the photographs and concentrating on small details, we realized there was the possibility of an altered context in making two dimensional images of our three dimensional assemblages. The pinhole images make use of color shifts due to long exposures (6-8 minutes), vignetting, and altered perspectives enhanced by our choice of placement of the wide-angle pinhole camera.
This body of work is on-going. We continue to build assemblages; some of them we photograph.
