Brooks Fletcher: The Intimate Vessel
July 30th, 2021 – September 4th, 2021
The Intimate Vessel is a growing body of work created by photographer and visual artist Brooks Fletcher. In this photographic series, Fletcher examines the function of photographs and their capacity to challenge attitude and perception. He photographs reflections, shadows, and lines found in everyday street scenes using a 4 x 5-inch large format film camera and color transparency film — a photographic film that produces a positive image on a transparent base. Instead of reproducing the image onto paper using an analog or digital process, each transparency is backed and illuminated by an LED panel. This presentation method not only suggests a truthfulness about the experience depicted but extends an alternate approach toward photography in the age of digital reproduction.
After receiving a BA in Communication Studies from California State University, Sacramento, Brooks Fletcher served 11 years on active duty in the US Army as a photojournalist, specializing in public affairs and strategic and mass communication. Following his military service, the Oakland native returned to the Bay Area to complete his MFA in Photography from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Along with being a member of Mercury 20 Gallery, Fletcher serves on the East Bay Photo Collective’s executive team and as the photography and multimedia teacher at Novato High School.
Available Work
Brooks Fletcher
Brooks Fletcher is a photographer and visual artist based in Oakland, California. After receiving a BA in Communication Studies from California State University, Sacramento, he served 11 years on active duty in the US Army as a photojournalist, specialized in public affairs and strategic and mass communication. Following his military service, the Oakland-native earned an MFA in Photography from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.
Brooks uses color reversal film and backlit frames to examine the nature of photographs, the lived-experience, and the medium’s capacity to challenge attitude and perception. The result is a philosophically-charged body of work that not only extends an alternate approach toward photography in an age of digital reproduction but showcases the importance and relevance of photographic education in modern society.