Samantha Troilo
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The Wool Over My Eyes
2021
Printed film photographs, salvaged driftwood, found items
4'x5'
A collection of printed film photographs taken in my home town chained together and attached to a large piece of found driftwood, various things collected from the beach, and thrifted pearl and shell beads for 'decoration' all combined to form a curated image of where I am from.
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The Wool Over My Eyes (Detail 03)
2021
Detail shot of film photograph photos printed and hand chained together.
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The Wool Over My Eyes (Detail 08)
2021
Second hand pearl beads on elastic.
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With Molly
2020
A new friend and her dog Molly playing fetch at the my grandfather's duck shack, shot on medium format film.
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Welcome to the Shore
2020
Boats gathered at a sandbar in the bay, shot on medium format film.
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Farming
2020
Sean heading out to harvest oysters, shot on medium format film.
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Horizon
2020
35mm film photograph shot on a plastic "waterproof" camera from my childhood with cracks reinforced with packing tape.
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Salted (1)
2020
35mm film photographed with a plastic "waterproof" point and shoot from my childhood, colors caused by a salt water leak reacting with the film.
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Salted (2)
2020
35mm film photographed with a plastic "waterproof" point and shoot from my childhood, colors caused by a salt water leak reacting with the film.
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Sunset
2020
End of the sunset over the bay, shot on medium format film.
Statement
The Jersey Shore is not a hidden gem, it is not shrouded in mystery. Many families and young adults venture out to the coast to soak up some sun, make some questionable drunk decisions, and eat overpriced seafood at a restaurant with a ‘view’ of some body of water.
What happens when these visitors leave? Does life pause, mid ice cream scoop, mid tandem bike ride, awaiting the return of the tourists to pour money into the businesses and populate the sands? Not exactly. The streets empty and shops start to close, but the local crowd wakes up, free to step out behind the counter of their business to finally relax. Behind every vacation town, there is a small community full of families that go way back and remain connected even if they eventually move away.
My thesis is about the idealized and constructed view of my hometown of Beach Haven, New Jersey and the glimpses behind the curtain of the tourist paradise. There is perception, and there is reality, and in my work I aim to emphasize the aspects of beach town stereotypes that do exist while introducing aspects of life that others often forget exist in a place they only visit. Initially I had set out to capture the real, truthful moments but as I looked through my images, I began to notice that I was doing the opposite. I had photographed the happy moments, the beautiful light spreading over classic shore imagery, showing a glimpse into an exclusive community of local shore dwellers but nothing that hadn’t been seen before. The only thing I managed to capture in this series was evidence of a predominantly, almost entirely, white community on the coast of New Jersey whose older generation seemingly made no attempt to welcome outsiders into their home.
From these images I have constructed a loose ‘blanket’ by linking prints of my images together, one metal ring at a time, attaching the entire thing to found driftwood, and attaching found items from my hometown. This blanket represents time and effort that is put into creating a curtain of perception for an idealized community to cover up the deeper issues that lurk just beneath the surface.
In my classroom I need to become aware of what I may be personally romanticizing, and the students need to learn what is beyond the curtain of perception that is often curated. I will focus on creating a safe space where students can form a community and feel comfortable facing some harsher realities and growing from their own experiences and those of others.