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Art Institute Student Presents "Rosslyn Fused"
Ada Ingram's Photographic Take on Rosslyn
When Ada Ingram was asked to photograph Rosslyn for her Art Direction class at the Art Institute of Washington, she knew the assignment would be a bit outside her comfort zone. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, she’s always been more comfortable photographing nature and the environment. Tall buildings just aren’t her thing.
But still, she was intrigued by the assignment. She knew she could find beauty in the geometric shapes of the urban cityscape, too. So, as any good artist would do, she embraced the challenge.
To complete the project, she set out from the Art Institute on foot, snapping pictures as she went. She’s been a student at the Art Institute in Rosslyn for three years, so the neighborhood is not unfamiliar to her. The Rosslyn BID shared information on Rosslyn's development with the class, which helped Ingram plan her approach. Monday Properties gave permission for Art Institute students to take pictures from the top floor of 1101 Wilson Blvd. (home to WJLA-TV). Ingram was able to capture some interesting angles from that perspective.
“When I look around Rosslyn I see strong lines intersecting and overlapping with each other, reflected shapes forming extended buildings, and a mass of concrete and glass fused together to create the Rosslyn cityscape,” Ingram says.
Instead of letting each of her photographs stand alone, Ingram created three triptychs (works of art with three panels). This enabled her “to explore the interaction of buildings in Rosslyn.”
Her professor loved what she did with the assignment, and we do, too. Here is her work for your viewing pleasure! Gallery.
Ingram graduates with a BFA in Photography in the spring. A former active-duty US Marine, she’s also a musician who played French horn with the Marine Expeditionary Force Band in Okinawa, Japan.
“I always liked photography, but I made music my career instead,” she says. “I used to document our band’s performances while I was in the Marines, and that’s what got me interested in photography as a next step.”
To view more of Ingram’s work, visit her website at http://www.adamariephoto.com/.