Ariel Rosenbloom

= Division III =

This article is part of a Climax Div III Issue. By Kate Abbey-Lambertz, Photo Editor.

Ariel Rosenbloom has been photographing her younger sisters forever: “ever since I picked up a camera.” Her Division III, entitled Spool, is a series of black and white and color photographs that explore themes of fictionalized family, the unspoken, and the nameless. Hovering between the real and imaginary, this series is cyclical in nature, weaving in and out with no real beginning or end.”

While Ariel didn’t learn to print in a darkroom until her second year at Hampshire, she has a natural affinity for it. “I think I really became passionate about photography once I started printing. I just love how personal it is. It’s a calming process for me; you can sort of escape into this space where time doesn’t exist.” And she works rigorously: “I did all the black and white printing over Jan-term. I was in the darkroom every day, all day until it was done.”

Ariel’s images of her sisters contain secret stories and are evocative, as mysterious as they are revealing “I used them as muses for a created, imaginary space. Photographing them for this project was much more like theatre. It was fun and also tedious at times.” “I think it was strange for them to see themselves up on the wall and to get so much attention, but secretly, I think they were flattered,” Ariel guessed. “They’re normal, teenage girls.”

Ariel plans to move to New York this summer to find a gallery job or internship and start getting her work shown. Her commitment to analog photography has put her into debt, and she warns Hampshire students that “if you’re planning on doing a photo Div III, plan out your budget ahead of time. No one warns you about how much a Division III photo project will cost (I can tell you: a LOT).”

Not that she necessarily would have changed anything: “The main reason I came to Hampshire was so that I would be able to carry out independent work. It feels pretty awesome to be able to say I’ve accomplished everything I hoped I would.” If you are interested in seeing Ariel’s work or buying prints you can contact her at mailto:arb05@hampshire.edu.