Select Examples of Student Work 2013-2018


Student Name: Jessica Almy Pagan (Graduate Student, Liberal Studies)

Institution: Duke University

Course: Activating the Archive: Archival Research as Documentary Practice, 2015

Assignment: Final Project: Creation of a documentary, narrative or experimental project that utilizes archival material from Duke's Rubenstien Library collections.

Description from the Artist: Soundings for Orixá' reveals a small corner of a map drawn by French cartographer Guillame de L'Isle in 1723 entitled "Carte des côtes de Malabar et de Coromandel." This corner reveals a rare reference to the King of Orixá's residence in Ramana, near the mouth of the Ganges River, recording an early attempt by European empires to map the region.


Student Name: Christopher Thomas (Graduate Student, MFA program in Experimental & Documentary Arts)

Institution: Duke University

Course: Activating the Archive: Archival Research as Documentary Practice, 2015

Assignment: Final Project: Creation of a documentary, narrative or experimental project that utilizes archival material from Duke's Rubenstien Library collections.

Description from the Artist: "A Fixed Facsimile is an experimental documentary film examining the extent that an archived text can be captured, re-presented, and in a sense, archived again, as a moving image. The text The Mathematical & Philosophical Works of the Right Reverend John Wilkins, originally published in 1708 were photographed on a Bolex 16mm camera with a disengaged motor. The fluttering exposures were achieved by cranking the film through the camera's gate by hand and was then processed in the darkroom by hand."


Student Name: Dan Smith (Graduate Student, MFA program in Experimental & Documentary Arts)

Institution: Duke University

Course: Activating the Archive: Archival Research as Documentary Practice, 2015

Assignment: Final Project: Creation of a documentary, narrative or experimental project that utilizes archival material from Duke's Rubenstien Library collections.

Description from the Artist: "No Sight but Thine and Mine is an experimental short-form documentary revealing the nature of ocular prosthetic technology housed at Duke University. The Library's History of Medicine Collection houses a mysterious box of antique prosthetic glass eyes of unknown origin and purpose. On the other side of campus at the Duke Eye Center patients are receiving cutting-edge prosthetic implants that are allowing those who've lost their sight to see the world in a completely new way."


Student Name: John Bechtold (Graduate Student, Liberal Studies)

Institution: Duke University

Course: Photographic Memory: Photo Albums, Zines & Photobooks, 2016

Assignment: Creation of a documentary photobook in which images are primarily relied upon to tell a story. The subject of the photobook will be determined by the student but should document and/or memorialize a community, cultural movement, custom, or personal experiences. Photobooks should include at least 20 images and incorporate necessary text and captions in a manner appropriate for the subject matter. Books can be handmade or printed through a vendor such as Blurb or lulu.

Description from the Artist: "As a retired soldier and Iraq War veteran, I began to wonder how people interact with war memorials. To me it seems as if it is our individual and collective response to memorials that lends meaning to the structures. The handmade photobook War Memorials documents regional war memorials and my attempts to understand their meaning."


Student Name: Adriaan Venter (Undergraduate, Computer Science)

Institution: Duke University

Course: Photographic Memory: Photo Albums, Zines & Photobooks, 2016

Assignment: Creation of a documentary photobook in which images are primarily relied upon to tell a story. The subject of the photobook will be determined by the student but should document and/or memorialize a community, cultural movement, custom, or personal experiences. Photobooks should include at least 20 images and incorporate necessary text and captions in a manner appropriate for the subject matter. Books can be handmade or printed through a vendor such as Blurb or lulu.

Description from the Artist: "In 1842 British colonization prompted Hong Kong to become the gateway to China with the trade from Europe. Soon after, Hong Kong became a bustling hub of trade and finance, attracting workers from the mainland city of Kowloon. Since 1888, the Star Ferry boats have been faithfully carrying these workers across Victoria Harbour from Kowloon to Hong Kong. The handmade photobook Star Ferry documents the route that tens of thousands of people still take every day."


Student Name: Devon Russell (Undergraduate, Undeclared)

Institution: Duke University

Course: Introduction to Photography, 2014

Assignment: Emulations Project: Emulating the work of a photographer whose work is available in library. (Gelatin Silver Print; Emulation of Aaron Siskind)


Student Name: Andreas Dyvig & Jamison Crowder (Undergraduate, Engineering / Undergraduate, Sociology)

Institution: Duke University

Course: Introduction to Photography, 2014

Assignment: Collaborative Portrait Project: Work with a partner from this class and collaborate to make portraits of each other. The final images must also be selected in collaboration. Make two prints of each selected image and trade prints with your partner on the due date. (Gelatin Silver Print)


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Student Name: Lorenzo Pedro & Mackenzie Wichard (Undergraduate, Studio Art / Undergraduate, Studio Art )

Institution: University of North Carolina, Greensboro

Course: Introduction to Photography, 2013

Assignment: Collaborative Portrait Project: Work with a partner from this class and collaborate to make portraits of each other. The final images must also be selected in collaboration. Make two prints of each selected image and trade prints with your partner on the due date. (Gelatin Silver Print)


Student Name: Kayli Higdon (Undergraduate, Studio Art)

Institution: University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Course: Intermediate Photography, 2013

Assignment: Light Sources: Select a light source and utilize that light source as both your material and subject matter. (Inkjet Print from Digital Image)


Student Name: Devon Tucker (Undergraduate, Studio Art)

Institution: University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Course: Intermediate Photography, 2013

Assignment: Light Sources: Select a light source and utilize that light source as both your material and subject matter. (Inkjet Print from Digital Image)