Kate Stone

Kate Stone '09

For this project I took photographs of domestic interiors and common architecture and used them to construct impossible, uncanny spaces, inserting doorways where they don't belong and twisting and tearing once rigid walls. I wanted these constructions to evoke a feeling of hesitant curiosity, a nervous desire to explore the room, to peek around the bend or to see what lies behind the door at the end of the hall.

The experience of photographing the original places was an integral part of my process. By photographing the homes of strangers and going to places I had never been before I, myself was able to explore unknown spaces, to investigate corridors, wander around private property and look behind closed doors. I was a voyeur and I took something familiar and twisted it into something unfamiliar. Our acceptance of photography as reality makes these images hard to understand, especially for those who know the original place. I want to confuse people, to make them look again and look more closely.

My interactions with homeowners also became an important part of the process. Their quirks and stories, the things they chose to share with me, influenced the narrative of the final pieces. The title of each photograph either describes an experience that I had in exploring the space or is a quote from the homeowner. By titling each piece this way, I allude to the process and make each space personal to its inhabitant.

At first glance the rooms and buildings in these photographs appear real. Upon closer examination, however, something is clearly wrong. The spaces are filled with incongruent angles, distorted perspective and improbable shadows. They are literally falling apart at the seams.