For me, Hanel's work runs hot and cold. This one is cold. This is just a
shiny plastic toy airplane with parts cropped out and other parts hidden by
green, succulent foliage. Even her title does not elevate it out of the
mundane.
Curious about a comment Andy made a couple of weeks ago about how Hanel's
work fit much better into a series, I went to her Web site at
http://www.lightwriting.net/. As a stand-alone image, I still do not find
this one very interesting, but when she uses her images as illustrative
points, Hanel has done a superb job of presentation.
I appreciate your comments. I agree that some of my titles are a bit nebulous until the images are seen in the context of the web site. I just don't have the brain power to keep track of images with multiple titles. I was like you; I didn't like this image much at first. But it was on the wall in the studio while I was thinking it over, and found that some visitors strongly identified with it. I guess planes are inherently attractive for many people, and this being a child's plane has added nostalgia. In the end I decided that the image made the point I was after, namely that the violence of the September 11th attacks is unjust, as all acts of violence are, though I wouldn't expect anyone to come to that understanding of the image when it stands alone. This leads me to ask others if they too have photographs they didn't particularly enjoy until they learned of their audience's opinions? Thanks a lot for your thoughtful reviews Rand.
Take Care, Shawna http://lightwriting.net
