Dan Junta
Ephemeral displays people in their own light at a given time in their life. Each posterzine has an identity of its own but as a collection remains cohesive. Identity is not static and should never be displayed in that manner. Engaging with these posters as a pamphlet or unfolded allows the viewer to have an engaging experience with the person being shown.
Artist/Thesis Statement
When I was in high school, I did whatever advisors or my parents told me to do. I got the grades expected of me and just went with the whole idea of “you need to go to college to live a happy life.” I was always skeptical and had no intention to attend a college, but that’s the route I chose to take because it was paved for me. I just took it as something “everyone does” and “it can’t hurt to have a degree,” and did not even consider what I wanted for myself. Looking back on that time of my life I think, function, and view that situation so differently. I have changed so much since that time. Every person has differing and similar influences, environments, and opportunities surrounding them and that is not something that should go unnoticed. Each and every moment is ephemeral.
With Ephemeral, I explore the concept of identity and how it morphs and transforms throughout an individual’s lifetime based off of that person's feelings and experiences at the time they are interviewed. I have been working on gathering images and information about both familiar individuals and strangers in order to capture their identity in a period time. In order to show how identity and personalities change over time, I ask both objective and subjective questions as well as capture images showing them still and candidly.Utilizing verbal documentation and photography, I can capture the essence of someone’s identity at that specific time. Capturing someone’s identity is not something that can be done easily. I emulate the essence of a person by showcasing the information and photos gathered in a poster series. The posters can also be transformed into a foldable pamphlet. Identity should never be static - therefore engaging with these posters as pamphlets or as a piece to be looked at on a wall allows an engaging experience to be shared with the viewer and the person being shown. By showcasing an array of people’s identities and experiences, viewers will ideally feel a sense of awareness, empathy, and understanding of the people around them. Spectators can take this work and self-reflect or even sympathize with ideas and expectations they previously had of the world around them.
