Zachary McKinley - Ephemeral — School of Visual Art and Design at the University of South Carolina

Zachary McKinley
Ephemeral

BA Media Arts Senior
zachmckinley.myportfolio.com

Through the quick retreat brought on by COVID-19 a new balance was struck between the light and dark of both my physical and mental health. Entangled in anxiety and isolation, forced to give up my own freedom, and my version of heaven. This restrictive lifestyle has pushed me to the ideas of emptiness, isolation, protection, and change. I seek to be surrounded again by the welkin dome of the outside world. Using a camera obscura gives me the opportunity to reconstruct my space. To bring the outside world in and feel as if I can finally breathe again. Though it was painful to put so many projects on hold during the quarantine, I have been able to experiment with new forms of photography and focus on more personal goals. Many things today feel ephemeral, as if they could be lost in an instant, but each time I create something new my world starts to feel more solid.