Do the Priest in Different Voices
Text and Photography by Maury Gortemiller
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| Hell and Backwards © 2012 Maury Gortemiller |
My most profound childhood memory involves reading a family bible. The illustrations, mostly Baroque-era paintings, did not function as a mere visual embodiment of the text. Rather, the pictures communicated in a far more powerful language, evoking both comfort and trepidation. The words of the book provided little interest, but the imagery moved me to contemplate the unseen. It is the pictures I remember - not the words.
The imbalance remains when I consider the possibility of a personal faith. While I am ambivalent towards the old established narratives, the semblance of the mythical in the mundane enthrals. I identify this conflict in the everyday: objects and situations that are alternately ineffable, laughable, and at times terrifying.
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| Ghosts © 2012 Maury Gortemiller |
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| Kraft Singles © 2012 Maury Gortemiller |
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| Penance Tattoo © 2012 Maury Gortemiller |
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| St Augustine, 737, Atlas 5 Rocket Body © 2012 Maury Gortemiller |
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| Remained Halos © 2012 Maury Gortemiller |
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| The Pity © 2012 Maury Gortemiller |
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| The Smoke of the Anger © 2012 Maury Gortemiller |
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| TV Test Pattern © 2012 Maury Gortemiller |
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| You'll Never Walk Alone © 2012 Maury Gortemiller |
Maury Gortemiller photographs and teaches in Houston, TX. He is also a competitive apneist, and plans to make an attempt on the breath-holding world record by the end of fiscal year 2013. Gortemiller holds an MFA in Photography from the University of Georgia, and MA in Southern Studies from the University of Mississippi and a BA in English from Baylor University.
www.maurygortemiller.com
