Uploaded March 2012 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Sarah Waldorf is raising funds for her photography project through Kickstarter. In order to receive contributions, the project must be funded in full by 4/25/12. To help: kickstarter.com/projects/sarahwaldorf/the-cry-project
The Cry Project is an experiment in process, performance, and photography by Sarah Waldorf for her senior art exhibition at Chapman University in Orange, CA, USA.
From Sarah: This project was conceived in an effort to speak about my fears of dedicating my life to the exploration of art and photography in a true and honest sense. Always interested in performance and the camera, I developed this project as way to discuss my worries of the seeming contradictions between practicing as an artist and participating in society. The project has two photographs and a video. The photographs are of me crying. The video is of me filming the time I photographed myself crying. It is about 52 minutes long and is unedited (except for jumps when the camera self restarted). Can the artist be the subject at the same exact moment? How can one truly engage with the world around if one is spent observing it?
My goal with this project is to explore size, scale and dimension as it relates to something vulnerable, personal and private. I hope that with this funding, my dream of my two photographs (of me crying) will be able to be professionally printed at 9 feet by 10.5 feet in time for my senior art exhibition at Chapman University in Orange, CA, USA. Unfortunately the printing will cost upwards of $3000 - and I'm asking for support in taking these photographs from puny to something powerful, daunting and beautiful.
This piece will open on April 23, 2012 as a part of a student group show in the Guggenheim Gallery at Chapman University.
Why Crying?
1) It's a completely visceral experience - nothing is more outwardly expressive of an internal reaction than crying. It is a physical manifestation of happiness, sadness, exhaustion, etc.
2) It carries heavy significance - who is more powerless than the victim? The hysterical woman? The one prone to irrationality?
3) Acceptance of the tears of men - Men (famous celebrities) have been photographed in mid-tears as an expression of vulnerability and self-assurance. How can I get my feminine tears to represent more than what is traditionally associated with a woman crying?
If these photographs can be printed to my dream size, it'll take them out of the realm of 'aww's' and false sympathy and into a place where the viewer must evaluate what is reality, what is constructed and how their evaluation of my project will fit into their interpretation of the notions of truth in the images.
http//:sarahwaldo.tumblr.com
Thank you for reading! And even more thanks if you consider any donation. Your support truly means the world to me - this is my largest project to date and even the smallest interest is just so important to me.
And a very special thank you to my peers, professors and mentors including - Alyssa Najafi, Aryn Tuazon, Zach Green, Joseph Carnegie, Zach Wechter, Alex Blair, Eric Chimenti, Stephen Berens, Micol Hebron, Isaac Resnikoff, Ronda Kalaji, and Roxi Sharif - for making this project bigger and better than I originally thought possible.
Thank you Kickstarter for offering such an incredible platform for creative people with a message to share. I appreciate all you've done for the advancements of art, photography and creativity.
Sarah Waldorf is raising funds for her photography project through Kickstarter. In order to receive contributions, the project must be funded in full by 4/25/12. To help: kickstarter.com/projects/sarahwaldorf/the-cry-project
The Cry Project is an experiment in process, performance, and photography by Sarah Waldorf for her senior art exhibition at Chapman University in Orange, CA, USA.
From Sarah: This project was conceived in an effort to speak about my fears of dedicating my life to the exploration of art and photography in a true and honest sense. Always interested in performance and the camera, I developed this project as way to discuss my worries of the seeming contradictions between practicing as an artist and participating in society. The project has two photographs and a video. The photographs are of me crying. The video is of me filming the time I photographed myself crying. It is about 52 minutes long and is unedited (except for jumps when the camera self restarted). Can the artist be the subject at the same exact moment? How can one truly engage with the world around if one is spent observing it?
My goal with this project is to explore size, scale and dimension as it relates to something vulnerable, personal and private. I hope that with this funding, my dream of my two photographs (of me crying) will be able to be professionally printed at 9 feet by 10.5 feet in time for my senior art exhibition at Chapman University in Orange, CA, USA. Unfortunately the printing will cost upwards of $3000 - and I'm asking for support in taking these photographs from puny to something powerful, daunting and beautiful.
This piece will open on April 23, 2012 as a part of a student group show in the Guggenheim Gallery at Chapman University.
Why Crying?
1) It's a completely visceral experience - nothing is more outwardly expressive of an internal reaction than crying. It is a physical manifestation of happiness, sadness, exhaustion, etc.
2) It carries heavy significance - who is more powerless than the victim? The hysterical woman? The one prone to irrationality?
3) Acceptance of the tears of men - Men (famous celebrities) have been photographed in mid-tears as an expression of vulnerability and self-assurance. How can I get my feminine tears to represent more than what is traditionally associated with a woman crying?
If these photographs can be printed to my dream size, it'll take them out of the realm of 'aww's' and false sympathy and into a place where the viewer must evaluate what is reality, what is constructed and how their evaluation of my project will fit into their interpretation of the notions of truth in the images.
http//:sarahwaldo.tumblr.com
Thank you for reading! And even more thanks if you consider any donation. Your support truly means the world to me - this is my largest project to date and even the smallest interest is just so important to me.
And a very special thank you to my peers, professors and mentors including - Alyssa Najafi, Aryn Tuazon, Zach Green, Joseph Carnegie, Zach Wechter, Alex Blair, Eric Chimenti, Stephen Berens, Micol Hebron, Isaac Resnikoff, Ronda Kalaji, and Roxi Sharif - for making this project bigger and better than I originally thought possible.
Thank you Kickstarter for offering such an incredible platform for creative people with a message to share. I appreciate all you've done for the advancements of art, photography and creativity.
