"Corpora:" A New Look at the Body

Until last year, senior Dustin Galyon had never taken a picture. This Saturday marks the opening of his gallery "Corpora," an 18-piece exhibit that has consumed his time for the last month.

The motivation to take on this project came after Galyon viewed another student's gallery last year. He decided that he wanted to do his own, and began a project that continued through his senior year. He has tried to take a lot of classes having to do with photography and the visual arts.

Galyon began seriously talking with Professor of Communications Jerry Holsopple about the project during first semester. In December he started shooting. Now that the basketball season has ended (Galyon has been on the team for the past two years), Galyon said that the project has occupied his time. It is a "medium in which I can express myself," he said. Basketball was his "love and passion for 22 years," he said, and photography is a new passion of his that had taken a backseat to basketball but has now come "to the forefront."

Galyon said that Holsopple "has been a huge inspiration" to him, not just Holsopple's work but the underlying themes present in his pieces. He said that communication and art professors Steve Johnson, Jennifer Mace, and Cyndi Gusler, along with Holsopple, have all been helpful - they asked him questions about the intention of his work rather than telling him what to do. Galyon also mentioned that his peers in photography classes have helped through constructive criticism and critique. He has not shown the images to many people, because he wants anticipation built up for the opening.

The pieces in "Corpora" are large-scale images that examine the human body and the emotions that come from it. They show "the body in its natural form," said Galyon. He has tried to expose something that is all around us, but do so in a different light. His aim was to show the body in a way that is "tasteful and dignified," while at the same time hoping to provoke conversation. Galyon said that there is a lot of "junk out there," referring to the way the body is presented in society, and said that "we need to go deeper" in examining it.

Galyon said he is "constantly competing" with himself to see if he can make images that both get his message across and are technically strong. He said that producing this gallery under Holsopple's guidance has been a learning experience for him, and he is excited to continue learning.

He hopes that the EMU community will take the time to experience the gallery, which runs from Apr. 1 to Apr. 12. A reception and gallery discussion will be held on Saturday from 7-9 p.m.