Born and raised in Wisconsin, I have always loved the Midwest landscape and all of the beautiful elements that nature has to offer. I am currently in my final year at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee as I earn my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art with an Emphasis in Photography and Imaging.
Recently, my work has revolved around medium and large format film photography as well as working with various types of alternative processes including lumen prints, cyanotypes, and van dykes. I find myself drawn to film and alternative process photography due to the tangibility and ephemerality of it. For my work specifically, I use aspects of the landscape in connection to the self.
From this connection, I represent emotional or psychological narratives that revolve around themes of depression, death, deterioration, and identity. Within my art making process, I work intuitively, allowing my creativity to access an endless stream of consciousness. I approach each investigation with openness and curiosity, permitting the process to unfold organically. For instance, in the making of my artist book, Deterioration, I allowed the ground and the sun to be the catalyst from which my pages were made. I used the interaction of household chemicals and the natural elements of soil and rain to create the lumen prints.
I allow the ephemerality of these processes to alter and change the material through happy accidents, experimentation, and sensitivity. My work can be found on my website at www.emilylevackphotography.com and in-progress work can be found on my Instagram feed at emilylevack.
