"The Light at the End of the Tunnel"
I completed my latest OU photography project based on an idea of light, which is basically what photography is – light. As I was working and researching possible ideas I continually found myself returning to the ideas of the “light at the end of the tunnel” or “tunnel vision.” These sayings represent a metaphorical meaning but I wanted to show a literal tunnel to represent the end of a long journey.
In life there are achievements that you’ve had to complete an extensive amount of work to achieve a specific final goal, as in college graduation, and you are looking for “the light at the end of the tunnel.” In death the “light at the end of the tunnel” can be a representation of the finality of this world’s death and the “light at the end of the tunnel” is the light beaming, inviting you to the new afterlife.
To show a literal tunnel for the metaphorical meaning I wanted to represent, I found there are not a lot of tunnels located in the state of Oklahoma, where I currently reside. I worked through several ideas with making my own tunnels of light, which is another project that I am continuing. I happened upon a series of tunnels located in downtown Oklahoma City which runs under the urban city blocks of the tallest buildings in the city. For those people who work in these locations the tunnels give the employees and visitors the ability to be mobile without ever needing to venture into an outdoor environment. The tunnels use different colors of lights as a key to a navigational map to guide you throughout this small city that lives underground.
I made a series of images of these tunnels where I found the vibrant colors of the fluorescent lights were placed in various geometric patterns throughout the long man-made underground. Each tunnel offered a different minimalist abstract experience of being an active part of an art exhibition or museum. The lights bleed onto the surrounding space that also becomes a part of the work. The work that is found in this area is similar to the work of the late Dan Flavin. A person wanting to experience his works can travel to Marfa, Texas where a large exhibit of his works remains.
In the final critique of my work I believe most people enjoyed looking at the images with the saturated colors. The minimalist views of the lights created an abstract art which I could control the way in which the viewers see the space, by the way I made the images. My placement of the camera in a particular space forces the viewer to observe the abstract art in a way I wish it to be seen. The images offer a different perspective than viewers who visit the area in person. I would have liked to add a transition area between the images of different colors. When visiting the tunnels, there is not really a transitional area but each tunnel abruptly starts and stops therefore I didn’t photograph what was not there. The final point of the tunnel was recorded as a dark space into the unknown because it was not accessible due to ongoing construction.
Overall I enjoyed the light project and making multiple visits to the site to experience and photograph the area. I like how the photographs came together in the series with a variety of different colors and different patterns of light. The light at the end of the tunnel came to an end of darkness into the unknown that is representative of life because no one really knows what the future holds.
Shelly Perkins Photography www.shellyperkins.com
