The Show

The EYE Project is a community-based artwork created by photographer Andrew Ross stemming from my fascination with the intricacy and variety of eyes seen all around us, yet seldom given close inspection.

The photographs of this project are an attempt to do just that – create a close inspection of eyes from a wide variety of people.  Although the photos themselves are documentary in nature, made with a digital camera using a macro lens and flash, my hope is that creating this array of over a hundred eyes will generate a new level of beauty by revealing the immense diversity and complexity found in eyes all around us.

I also value the universality that photographing eyes provides, as it is a subject common to all of us and thus readily approachable.  I love the juxtaposition of beauty and uniqueness, old and young, innocence and wisdom, and everything in between.  And I hope that in displaying these eyes in such a large scale, a dialogue is created with the viewer – where the eye is always watching, yet only sees what we see in it.  In this way, the eye becomes provocative …and possibly a bit disconcerting.  For some, these eyes may be something that cannot be ignored, or even their gaze avoided.

The EYE Project is now in a second showing, on display at Ars Magna Gallery at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory in Tallahassee, Florida (my new home) from 7 through 28 April 2006. Hours for the lobby gallery of the Lab are Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm. An opening reception was held on First Friday, 7 April 2006, from 6pm to 9pm.

Initially, The EYE Project was on display at Chapel Hill Town Hall in Chapel Hill, North Carolina from 2 September through 23 October 2005.

To see the Gallery of eyes, read About photographer Andrew Ross, note who deserves Thanks for this project, or browse Links related to this project, use the navigation bar at left.