This piece is a collage of 35mm slides, arranged in chronological order, sub-divided into rows according to specific people, occasions, and locations, beginning with an image of Hannah’s grandmother as an infant and ending with one of Hannah as an infant herself. Each slide is made up of two transparencies: one, an unedited image, covered by a second, the same image as the first, but modified using Photoshop, creating distinguishable yet blurred images when illuminated from behind. I find this distortion of images appealing. It allows the viewer to connect with the piece on a more personal level than if the images had been completely identifiable. Because details such as facial features and fingers are lost with the layering of transparencies in many of the slides, I associate the still-recognizable images—a bride and groom, a woman and her newborn, a graduate wearing her cap and gown—with my own experiences. Although Hannah knows the people in the slides, and can distinguish one from another despite the blurred appearance, to the uninformed eye the images are understood in more general terms, as non-specific moments in time.

The arrangement of rows creates a sense of movement within the collage, successfully guiding the eye through time, from left to right and top to bottom. There is an interesting contrast among the rows of images resulting from the chronological arrangement, an evolution from stiff, black and white portraits, to the colors and less-controlled compositions of the early nineties. I am incredibly impressed with the construction of this piece. The frame behind the slides is covered with white fabric, allowing light to illuminate the surrounding walls, creating a glowing border around the frame and leading to further unity within the piece. Each individually framed slide is a work of art, distinct from surrounding slides, while also a component of the piece as a whole. I was particularly drawn to this aspect of Hannah’s work. From a distance, the composition is appealing—although the images themselves are not decipherable, the illuminated shapes of colors create an abstract cohesion throughout the piece. Once the viewer moves closer to the work, the content of the images becomes recognizable, though an appealing level of the unknown remains.

The representation of people as blurred shapes has a calming effect on the overall aesthetic of the piece. Shapes of similar colors within the slides compliment each other, eliminating possible tension between unrelated images. The one technicality I feel could be improved is the somewhat uneven distribution of light throughout the piece. Due to the placement of fluorescent bulbs behind the slides, the center slides are more illuminated than those on the top and bottom rows. However, this doesn’t detract from the overall success of the piece. A depiction of the lineage of Hannah’s relatives, a pictorial family tree of the merging of Shepherds and Clevelands, this work is personal to the artist, while accessible to the viewer.