Right outside of the Dining Hall sits a small room whose windows advertise a new exhibition titled “Veils” by Kelly Banfield `24. The new display, housed in the Edith Renfrow Smith `37 Student Art Gallery, features four photographs and an installation composed of makeup wipes at various stages in the removal process.
Banfield talked about how his photography carries a level of fear “when something’s not fully discernable as an object.” He added that the makeup wipes add another layer of obscurity, as they were once covering his face and then were removed.
Despite only officially launching on Feb. 3, Banfield’s exhibit has been in the works since he started working on his photography Mentored Advanced Project (MAP) last summer. Banfield, who had never shot with film before his MAP, used multiple styles of cameras throughout the project. The slightly blurred effect in some of his photos, he says, comes from the pinhole camera he favored.
A notable aspect of his photography is the discoloration that occurs in a few of the photos, creating a fog effect that appears to hide the subject of the photo and add a level of obscurity. While the design choices might seem intentional, Banfield said the effect was a complete accident caused by his developing canister. “The lid fell off, and the roll of film went into our chemical discard bucket,” he said.
Those “mistakes,” however, birthed a truly unique composition, according to Banfield — one worthy of its very own gallery. “Veils” will remain in the Smith Gallery until Feb. 17.
