Student Portraiture by Aaron Bayles '17
Artist Statement
With this project, I want to explore the connections that people create with locations around them and how we project positive emotions ("good vibes") onto these physical places. I asked all of my subjects to pick their favorite place on campus, or the place where they've had their fondest memories (because those two might not be the same). By taking a portrait at these locations, I wanted to let these places shine through the eyes of those who love them. In this way, even if someone has no emotional association with a certain location, they can experience that positivity vicariously. While this project took place at W&M, the College is not the primary focus. Rather, these specific places and their emotional connections with the subjects are the highlights. Ideally, I would have asked my subjects where their favorite places in the entire world were and gone there. However, that might have proved difficult to carry out. As such, I limited my project to William & Mary and its immediate surroundings.
Artist Biography
Aaron is a senior Chemistry major and Hispanic Studies minor from Norwalk, Connecticut. He has loved photography since he took a film photography course in high school. Now, he works with the philanthropic initiative Relevo Photography and is a contract photographer for the Armed Services Arts Partnership. He loves traveling, learning about different languages and cultures, and eating lots of cheese!
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to Vice President of Student Affairs Ginger Ambler for funding this project, to W&M Libraries for hosting and assisting in the design of this exhibit, and to all of my subjects who volunteered their time and images to make this project a reality.