Adena Loboda
For my senior project, I created a series of five compositions inspired by an image of my great-grandmother, Mama Helen. Using photography and graphic design, I recreated this image that was taken in front of the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt in the 1930s. The additional four compositions depict some of her descendants. I photographed my family members, and placed them digitally in front of a widely recognized location, landmark or city. These designs are inspired by Mid-Century Modern postcards or travel posters. When the original photo was taken, my great-grandmother was far away from home and her family. Similarly, these days it is nearly impossible for my entire family to gather together because of the Covid-19 Pandemic. The location/landmark for each design also have a personal connection, for example: my sister is placed in front of Macchu Picchu in Peru because that is one of her favorite places she has visited and my brother is placed at the Western Wall because that’s the only place outside of America that he has ever traveled to. Each piece includes texture, vector graphics and small pieces of a handwritten letter that my great-grandmother wrote for my mother. Through the combination of photography and design, I am bringing out some of the similarities of my great-grandmother then and the world we live in today.