Brad Hamilton: Connected

Brad Hamilton: Connected by Aline SmithsonMay 18, 2015

©Brad Hamilton

I first encountered Brad Hamilton’s street images when I met him at the PhotoNOLA reviews. I was intrigued by the idea of his creatively combining visual relationships of street life into compelling narratives and visual pairings. Through composited imagery, Brad creates new tableaux that make us consider our relationships to each other.

Born in Ottawa, Canada, Brad studied design and photography at Parsons The New School in New York. After receiving his BFA in 1989 he worked as a designer and art director in San Francisco, and studied with master photo printer Frank Espada. In 2002 he returned to New York to focus on photography full time after a year in-residence at the Maine Photographic Workshops. Brad has participated in group shows, including a solo exhibition at The Maine Center for Contemporary Art, and currently lives in Brooklyn where he divides his time between personal projects and assignment work.

©Brad Hamilton

The project ‘Connected’ uses composited imagery to create hypothetical encounters between strangers on New York City sidewalks. Using primarily neutral backgrounds, thousands of passersby are photographed in a given location over hours or days. The editing process singles out individuals or groupings who are then juxtaposed with others with whom they often share a symbolic connection. Time is compressed in the service of these new narratives which explore social, political, and religious themes as they stream past us all but unseen.