Episode 8: Opposites Attract (Works)

Artist: Lindsey Smolensky
Twitter: smoness
"Up & Down: Because I have very little control over what and when I eat, and because my body only absorbs a partial percentage of the nutrients I put in it, my weight constantly yo-yos. Generally, I'm very good about keeping myself at a healthy weight. But sometimes I'll hit "scary weight" status, which (beyond causing me to freak out a bit and inhale a deep fried cheeseburger dipped in ice cream) prompts me to snap photos of myself. A means of documenting what my body goes through. From a scientific viewpoint, I'm fascinated by it. From a human viewpoint I'm upset by it. The contrast of looking up through a tree's branches against looking down at its cast shadow is like looking at the exact same image that's been distorted in two very different ways. Which is pretty much how I feel about looking at my body on a daily basis."



Artist: Becky Cochrane
Twitter: BeckyCochrane
"Fists and Palms
Medium: photographs
I shot tight fists versus open hands as a metaphor for opposites: stinginess and generosity. People speak of giving without expectation; I think such a quality is almost impossible for us. We clutch, we grasp, we want. We may not ask or expect to be repaid in kind, but we hope, perhaps for love, approval, friendship, gratitude, kindness, companionship, respect. Often it seems the person who protests the most passionately that he or she gives without expectation most wants or needs repayment the most. A gift becomes an attempt at emotional leverage, and trust is replaced by fear of loss."



Artist: Sean Kramer
Twitter: N/A
"Hard/Soft: I have had a very busy week here, so I will admit that I borrowed a picture from my archives for this challenge. This is a picture I took recently while I was out walking. It just amazed me how the abundance of flowers (soft) were growing through the narrow lines of the concrete (hard)."




Artist: Rhonda Rubin
Twitter: The_Rhonda
"Candy Mountain: Opposites are, very often, two sides of the same coin. Unless you're talking about actual coins, because basic vocabulary tells us that George Washington is not the opposite of South Carolina. For this challenge, I chose heaven and hell. Sometimes, too much of a good thing becomes just a crushing mountain of cellulite and tooth decay, and one man's heaven is another man's hell."

*Photo redacted per artist's request*

Artist: Nikie Brown
Twitter: wishnikphoto
"Opposites Attract - Pleasure/Pain: "It's a fine line between pleasure and pain" - The Divinyls
My photo depicts the opposing forces by showing how pain can be an overwhelming sensation that boosts one's climax to pleasurable levels."












*Click on boombox to play*
Artist/Composer: Josh Newton
Twitter: Marquis66
"...through a forest of flowers: For my theme, I chose to deal with something really personal, after a conversation between Jen (my wife) and I about her bipolar disorder. She described what it is like and compared her depression states with the times where she feels good as “darting through a forest, noticing all the flowers, instead of the dead trees and cold stones”. I tried to symbolize that initial, cold feeling, with the sudden wave of happiness, but the shadow of that depression hanging behind it."

Artist: Brad Dumm
Twitter: N/A
"Sports and Leisure: When you think of sports and leisure, usually you think of them in the same category, but here I see a different perspective. Sports is teamwork, action and movement. In this example, leisure is an escape from teamwork, action and movement."