Stephen DiRado (Clark University)
Across the Table
Across the Table
During a visit to CreateLab at Holy Cross in 2022, acclaimed photographer and Clark University professor Stephen DiRado spoke about the power of photographic technique to capture community through juxtaposed instants.
Artworks in his Across the Table series begin when he plunks his camera down on the table where folks are sitting down to talk. As the exchanges unfold, he picks up the camera from time to time, casually firing off dozens of photographs of what interests him from across the table. He also encourages others at the table to play along and do the same, firing off photographs of what they see. Sifting through the snapshots afterwards — sometimes hundreds of them — he looks for two to place side by side as a way to represent the emotions and tempo of the gathering.
The result, a single image of juxtaposed photos, captures moments of unexpected togetherness, interactions dislodged from time and reassembled through the energy generated by gestures, body language, glances across the table.
Inspired by DiRado’s work, students in CreateLab produced their oen versions of Across the Table photographs, a selection of which is included below
Artworks in his Across the Table series begin when he plunks his camera down on the table where folks are sitting down to talk. As the exchanges unfold, he picks up the camera from time to time, casually firing off dozens of photographs of what interests him from across the table. He also encourages others at the table to play along and do the same, firing off photographs of what they see. Sifting through the snapshots afterwards — sometimes hundreds of them — he looks for two to place side by side as a way to represent the emotions and tempo of the gathering.
The result, a single image of juxtaposed photos, captures moments of unexpected togetherness, interactions dislodged from time and reassembled through the energy generated by gestures, body language, glances across the table.
Inspired by DiRado’s work, students in CreateLab produced their oen versions of Across the Table photographs, a selection of which is included below
