Work of art in archival inkjet prints by artist Kendra Smith as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Walk".

Work of art in archival inkjet prints (64 prints each 4 x 6 inches) by artist Kendra Smith as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Walk".

Work of art in archival inkjet prints (various sizes) by artist Kendra Smith as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Walk".

Work of art in archival inkjet prints by artist Kendra Smith as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Walk".

Work of art in digital image by artist Megan A. DeSoto as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Beauty Remains, Object Portraiture"

Brachaid is a collection of photographs that explore the blindness of our perspective that is informed by images. By photographing peripheral landscapes like wastewater processing facilities, the edges of temporary streams, and stormwater basins, the project uses the landscape and its perceived neutrality to foreground how the production of images constructs our perception. The work in Brachaid emphasizes the production of images, from subject and framing choices to the use of imaging software, to demonstrate that such production is regularly and radically obscured in most of the images we consume, and that this same structure exists in our lived reality.

With this work, I investigate the mental and physical toll of the past and the dissonance that often occurs as we age through the use of experimental cameraless techniques. By placing photographic materials directly against my skin during performative acts of self-care, I document my body as I reflect on the damage it suffered as a result of my childhood as a competitive gymnast, which is being exacerbated by the effects of age and time. The resulting photographs are a poetic self-reflection on my physical form that embodies my struggle to understand and accept my deteriorating body.

Work of art in archival inkjet prints by artist Kendra Smith as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Walk".

Work of art in archival inkjet prints by artist Kendra Smith as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Walk".