Student exhibits surreal photos inspired by lucid dreams

Amanda Aceves, left, and Photography Department Chair, Erika Gentry, right, view the photographs displayed during the opening reception of “Dreamscapes,” exhibition by Amanda Aceves at Gallery Obscura at Ocean Campus, Monday, Feb. 9. (Photo by Natasha Dangond)

 

Amanda Aceves, left, and Photography Department Chair, Erika Gentry, right, view the photographs displayed during the opening reception of “Dreamscapes,” exhibition by Amanda Aceves at Gallery Obscura at Ocean Campus, Monday, Feb. 9. (Photo by Natasha Dangond)
Amanda Aceves, left, and Photography Department Chair, Erika Gentry, right, view the photographs displayed during the opening reception of “Dreamscapes,” exhibition by Amanda Aceves at Gallery Obscura at Ocean Campus, Monday, Feb. 9. (Photo by Natasha Dangond)

by Natasha Dangond
The Guardsman

San Francisco based photographer and City College photo student, Amanda Aceves, is the creator of City College’s most recent photo exhibition at Gallery Obscura which is inside the Ocean Campus Photo Department.

Aceves hosted the opening reception of this show on Feb. 9, welcoming attendees with wine and hors d’oeuvres.

“Dreamscapes” is a collection of black and white portraits shot in Golden Gate Park using a 4×5 view camera, a popular method of photographing from the early 1900s. The images have a surreal, and mysterious aspect, inspired by a number of ethereal scenes Aceves envisioned.

“They are inspired by my dreams. I am a lucid dreamer  and I began to focus on what photo I would want to take next and these images started coming to my head in my dreams,” Aceves said.

City College Photo Department Lab Supervisor, Renee Tung, is the woman in charge of deciding which photo student’s work will be displayed in Gallery Obscura each month.

After seeing Aceves’ work, which was initially submitted for the Photo Department’s Cherkis Scholarship, Tung said she was “immediately struck by the lushness of the photographs.”

“These very surreal figures against a forest backdrop, it felt mysterious and dark,” Tung said.

City College photography student Amanda Aceves at the opening reception of her black and white photo exhibition “Dreamscapes,” shot entirely on a 4x5 large format film camera, Gallery Obscura on Ocean Campus, Monday, Feb. 9. (Photo by Natasha Dangond)
City College photography student Amanda Aceves at the opening reception of her black and white photo exhibition “Dreamscapes,” shot entirely on a 4×5 large format film camera, Gallery Obscura on Ocean Campus, Monday, Feb. 9. (Photo by Natasha Dangond)

“What I like about this series is that every photo has a different character. It’s almost like a glimpse into many different stories,” Tung said. “She doesn’t tell us the story of each character, but it’s a peek into so much more. It’s like a little window into these potential stories, allowing the viewer to imagine what is going on.”

When asked what challenges she faced while shooting this project, Aceves said, “It’s hard to take pictures of people with a large format camera. You  have so much going on, and it is such a tedious process, very different than shooting with a 35mm camera or a digital camera.”

Besides the challenge of using a difficult method of photographing, Aceves discussed further on some family circumstances that affected the making of “Dreamscapes.”

“My mother was diagnosed with cancer last semester, and at the same time my grandfather was very ill,” Aceves said. “My grandfather and I bonded over our love for film photography, he gave me the camera I shot this project with and (he) has had a big impact on me.”

“I want my viewers to be mystified and intrigued, keeping the viewer guessing. I like creating photos that you can stare at for a long time and consistently surprise people. I want people to be inspired to be creative,” Aceves concluded.

“Dreamscapes” will be up in City College’s Gallery Obscura for viewing until Feb. 28.