Leah Gose and Ashlae Shepler

Peephole-3
inkjet print
32 x 16 in.

Mirrors, movies, photographs, windows, peepholes, cameras – all provide an opportunity to covertly observe other people. The sense of “private” becomes ambiguous in a sprawling city because of incessant activity inherent in areas of large population. More people in smaller spaces challenge definitions of boundaries, especially those of public and private. Here specifically, the camera becomes a tool not for creative purposes, but as a means to cross boundaries into someone else’s private life – including surveillance, police work, or voyeuristic desire.

It is our curious action of looking to see if we may catch a glimpse of something otherwise intimate, personal, and private that has driven the creation of this project. We are exploring the pleasure in looking, whether it is simple curiosity or a more deviant perversion that causes a person to cross the boundaries of public and private life. We challenge concepts of voyeurism by addressing the action of viewing and the illusion of an object through photography. Scenes reveal private actions of occupants in domestic settings such as getting dressed, watching television, cooking dinner, and having sex. Images interplay as a group to build a narrative that depicts the passage of time and the various activities behind doors.

© Leah Gose + Ashlae Shepler