The fifth Silver & Ink exhibition held at the Gutstein Gallery.Photo by Joseph Jacob

By Jireh Maddox

Staff writer

A plethora of students and family passed the Jen Library to enter the school’s Gutstein Gallery for the reception of Silver & Ink on April 28.

Silver & Ink is an annual show which has been displaying the talent of our photography department for the past five years.

“Three thousand people have come to these receptions in years past,” said Silver & Ink docent Jordan Dotson. “And [the gallery] is expecting the same kind of turnout.”

Last year’s show was held at the River Club to rave reviews, which drew many to this year’s show, but the majority of the students in attendance came to see the exemplary work of friends.

To be eligible to submit work, a student must have taken at least one photography class. The student need not be a photography major nor does the photograph have to be taken while in a photography class. Fifth-year architecture major and photography minor Mark Painter Pariani shot his piece, “Triangulation,” while in a parking garage on an architecture field in 2010.

“Triangulation” was clearly inspired by Pariani’s love and knowledge of architecture as it reflects the work of Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron, best known for their Bird’s Nest Studio in Beijing, China.

“I like to take pictures of buildings as a reference for my own work,” said Pariani, describing what led him to minor in photography.

Silver & Ink, consisting of solely student work, features a wide array of subjects from Pariani’s architectural photograph to landscapes like “Coot’s Pond,” shot by graduate photography student Allison Barnes, to portrait pieces like “Trauma” by first-year photography major Meyrem Bulucek.

Several pictures were added and removed the day before and even during the reception, much to the surprise of the onlookers.

Temporary confusion aside, the space served the function well and allowed for people to move around with ease. With the exception of the placement of the photographs closest to the door of the gallery (the afternoon sunlight streaming through the glass caused a glare on the photographs facing the street), the event was flawless.

Silver & Ink is scheduled to continue through June 10 at the Gutstein Gallery on Broughton St.