Letter to Future Students

To the future student looking to study abroad,

I chose to go to Paris, much like others, to get outside of my comfort zone. I’ve spent my whole life in Wisconsin, and have only been out of the country with my family. Choosing to stay so close by to friends and family that I grew up with has had extreme benefits at times and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. But, I found myself becoming too consumed with the needs of others this past year and felt a little out of touch with myself, and with my work. Paris was so attractive to me because the distance would be forcing me to take time out for myself and my schooling; something that I hadn’t necessarily allowed myself to fully do in a long time. I also felt that this summer would be one of the last, if not the last, where I could fully excuse myself from the real world with very little consequence. The amount of pressure that I’m already feeling to figure out what I’m doing after I graduate in the spring has already started to build up, and I thought that if I removed myself from my typical environment and threw myself into a completely new one that it would become more clear to me what it is that I want to focus on.

While I came to Paris expecting personal clarity, I also expected to be able to experience most of the city in one trip. I quickly learned, that even with the fast-paced program that was set up for us, that it was absolutely unobtainable. As soon as I realized this after the first couple of days, I was better able to digest the places we were seeing. I was so overwhelmed from the culture-shock that I experienced from the second we got off the plane that it was difficult at times to take it all in. From the language barrier, as well as the extreme beauty within all of the buildings in Paris that you are constantly surrounded by, it’s easy to get lost and swept up by all of the change. But the biggest thing that I had to keep in mind was that at the end of the day, Chris and Eric really have your best interest at heart-the schedule that they have carefully planned is laid out for a reason. The integration and exposure to museums, archives, and historical landmarks kept me interested. I found myself pleasantly surprised at the wide variety of places we went to visit and felt that the ground covered on this trip was suitable for any major. I realized on this trip the importance of looking at work outside of your usual interest and/or focus. For the first time on this trip I found myself completely moved by the architecture at the Mémorial des Martyrs de la Déportation, which I had no idea was possible. I found myself extremely interested in the psychology of painting and the symbolism of color and movement within the Early Abstraction movement. While I know that I’ve studied some of that in my Art History classes before, there was a complete disconnect for me between seeing it in a textbook, and physically experiencing a piece that Paris filled.

 I realized after coming home that I feel a lot more comfortable in my own skin after this trip. Part of that I believe, is due to the fact that you’re thrown into a completely different culture and you may be extremely uncomfortable and/or uneasy. I found that I got a lot of the personal clarity I needed by being more in tune with my thoughts and emotions because I was removed from my comfort zone. I truthfully believe that this trip has impacted the way that I look at artwork, as well as the way that I create. I not only look at work more analytically than I did before because of the curriculum, but the work the things that inspired me while I was in Paris were different than what I have been attracted to back in Milwaukee. The exposure to a new culture and a new way of living and experiencing the world opened up a whole new side of my photography that I didn’t know was there. This epiphany of some sorts came at a really significant time-it answered a lot of doubts that I had about myself as a photography student, and solidified some ground to help me feel more confident going into my senior year.

To anyone thinking about studying abroad—do it. Don’t overthink it. Yes, it is daunting. Yes, you will go through a wide variety of emotions. You will be exhausted mentally, emotionally, and physically after seeing and experiencing this completely different world. You may or may not click with the city the program is running in, but you will learn so much more about yourself once you remove yourself from your comfort zone. And please, once the program is finished, take some time to yourself before returning back home. Go visit another city or two-stay a few days longer if you can. The down time that I had in London before I went back home helped me process through Paris a lot better. All in all, there is not one person that wouldn’t benefit from studying abroad. Do it now while you’re in school and you have the time – it really will shape the way that you look at the rest of the world once you come back.

-Teresa Gagliano

Reflecting

Its hard to believe that we really only have two more days left in Paris. I have seen so much in the last thirteen days that it’s hard to comprehend and digest it all. While we still have two full days left, I feel like a lot of the things I’m thinking about right now are relating to the culture here. One of the biggest themes that I’ve been thinking about over the course of this trip, particularly since Versailles, has been the pace of this culture. The environment, the organization, as well as the city allows for moments of reprieve and relaxation. I’ve found a strong connection to seeing others find these moments within different places because I feel that this city can be extremely over-stimulating at times (for me). Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing-just extremely different than what I’m used to in Milwaukee. I think that this is a culture where a lot of the population seems confident and self-aware. Whether it’s stopping on a bridge for 5 minutes just to look out at the canal, or it’s similar to the woman who I was observing at Versailles who overlooked it for 15 minutes, there is a certain level of comfort within being vulnerable in that moment that I’ve been trying to capture. I know that I’ve had a number of moments on the trip where I’ve felt that way, and I think it’s inevitable for anyone who enters this city to experience the same emotions. I think that this would be a really interesting and rewarding direction for me to head in for the studio portion of the final. 

Day 19 - Arab Institute & Maison de Verre

I’ve really been enjoying the pace of the last few days-I feel like I’m finally having a bit of time to reflect and think about how this trip has started to shape me and the my art. Today, going to the Institut du Arab and seeing the AMAZING aperture glass windows that opened and closed just like a camera to let light in was a really great experience.

I saw how photography could be manifested within architecture, which I never thought I could be done.

I also really enjoyed going to the Maison de Verre, and seeing how light emanated throughout this house I normally am not attracted to the design of a house and the objects that occupy it, but the functionality as well as the story behind it all was what really intrigued me. The fact that it has undergone so many different stages is really amazing. Going from a gynecology office and home, to now a museum/home is so bizarre and beautiful.

My favorite part of the house was the fact that it included little moments where design encompassed common courtesy-the way that the doorknob was designed within the doctor’s office made it so that the doctor had to bend down and bow slightly to say goodbye to the woman who was leaving, to be respectful.  

One of my other favorite parts within the house was when we were inside the waiting room, and Andrew, the man who was showing us around the house, was describing why the windows were so much higher than expected. When you’re sitting down, you’re staring at the textured Nevada Glass tiles, but when you’re standing up you are able to see into the garden. He said that the doctor did this intentionally, due to the fact that the majority of his clients were dealing with infertility and didn’t want them to be seeing his children playing in the garden while they were waiting for their appointment. That attention to emotion within design is honestly something I never thought about until today and I think it made me aware of just how much it is capable of conveying and doing. Little things like that within the house is what really set it apart from a lot of what we’ve seen so far.

When we got back to the hostel later on, it started to downpour… just a few pictures. I don’t think I’ve seen it rain that hard in the longest time. 

Ron Mueck

I was absolutely blown out of the water by Ron Mueck’s photo-realistic sculptures.  His sculptures are absolutely incredible—I have never seen anything like it. While you’re first struck by the amount of detail that goes into creating one of these, and the magnitude of the realism depicted, there is a whole other level waiting to be interacted with. Something that was present throughout all of the pieces was the gaze-the interaction between the subject(s) and the space, or the other subjects present within the room they were in. Mueck creates a space that allows you to interact with the sculptures, despite the scaled down/blown up sizes of his subjects. The interaction that struck me the most was the communication between Drift, that depicts an obviously wealthy man on a wall, his gaze averted and covered up. He is elevated, and in a Christ-like position. Almost directly across from him, the smallest sculpture throughout the gallery, is a sculpture called Youth that depicts a young, African-American man with a wound in his side. Mueck played with scale, size, color, and position in order to guide you straight to Drift, while you blatantly ignore Youth, who obviously needs attention. Implicating the viewer in that manner was absolutely shocking and extremely brilliant. This shower was perfectly curated and the works were so intriguing and amazing—I have never been so engrossed by sculpture before. 

I was extremely disappointed that we were unable to take photographs within this exhibition because I don't think there is an adequate representation within my drawings or analysis to sum up what I saw there. But, I was lucky enough to find some images online that I felt represented the works I mentioned quite well. 

Bibliotheque Nationale

The Biblioteque Nationale was absolutely amazing. We were able to see the first photography book ever published, we were able to HANDLE Daguerreotypes made by Daguerre himself, touch Felix Nadar and Dousineau’s work, and were able to see up close Man Ray and Henri Cartier-Bresson prints. The actual experience of being the only ones allowed to interact with those prints at the time was so beyond me. I was not expecting to see so much work, and by such well known photographers.. It is a prime example of how reading about a piece in a history book, or seeing it on a computer screen doesn’t do it justice.

While the whole experience was absolutely mind-blowing, the most exciting part for the day for me was to be able to actually handle a Daguerreotype, made by Daguerre. It was way too much for me. This was the beginning of photography—and I was able to hold the prints that he handled, that he held. To be see how the medium started, and actually get to experience it in person was surreal.  They were beyond beautiful. The physicality of prints, the color, and the way that you have to interact with Daguerreotypes are just beautiful. But there are absolutely no words for being able to actually hold one that he himself made. I was able to see fingerprints on the edges of the plate where he must have touched the chemicals-something you never wouldn’t have ever been able to tell from a computer. The colors, the weight, the preciousness that these Daguerreotypes encased were absolutely incredible. I just keep thinking about the limited number of people that have been able to see these photographs in person, let alone the number of people that have actually gotten to interact with them. To be so close to such an incredible part of history is without a doubt a once in a lifetime experience. The story that came along with the Daguerreotypes, how they sat in the attic of his castle for 100 years after his death, without being properly preserved and had very little corrosion to the surface is an absolute miracle…the fact that they made it through all of the horrible weather, after 100 years and still look absolutely incredible, is absolutely unbelievable.

 It so important to feel connected to whatever you decided to spend the rest of your life doing, and I feel that the disconnect that I felt between history books and actually experiencing the pieces in person, have been bridged. Knowing, seeing, and being able to touch some of the most amazing moments of photography has allowed a reconnection, a deeper appreciation, and an absolute jaw-dropping moment that I will never be able to forget. Knowing the roots of photography is one thing, but being able to actually experience and touch it is within a completely different frame.