Tell A Story is a special section for this issue of Grid. Seventeen graphic design students at VCU were given the seemingly simple task of telling a story of Richmond through ten photos and an accompanying artist’s statement. The challenge turned out to be anything but easy and the results were varied. In the end, one winning student’s story was chosen to grace the pages of Grid, and we’re happy to publish it.

Judges: Paul Spicer, Editor & Publisher of Greater Richmond Grid; Leslie Strickler, Publisher of Greater Richmond Grid ; Jeff Kelley, Columnist and Department Editor for Greater Richmond Grid.
ALONE, NOT LONELY
By Claire Corneal

One of the reasons I decided to attend VCUarts is because of its location in Greater Richmond. I love living in this city, and the feeling you get from all its unique neighborhoods and people.

When I was considering how I could portray Richmond, I felt that the most honest way to show the city was the way that I experienced it as an introvert. That’s not to say that I feel alone in this city–it’s quite the opposite.

While introverts are mostly painted as shy creatures with limited social skills that rarely venture outside, the reality is much less extreme. There’s just a certain amount of decompression we need to be alone with our thoughts. I wanted to show this through the concept of “Alone, not lonely.”

For this project, it was important for me to show people in my photos being enveloped by the spaces they occupy. Introvert or not, finding quiet moments of reflection or awe in one’s surroundings is just as much a part of living in Richmond as anything else. I therefore chose places around Richmond that I love and find to be peaceful.

Some of these places are mundane — like the Laundromat or the bus. These aren’t spaces that are consigned to any one type of person. They are commonplace. They are public areas for everyday type tasks, no matter who you are. And in these spaces it is possible to celebrate the ordinary.

I chose spaces that move me, like the hydroelectric factory on Belle Isle. The first time I went to Belle Isle I accidentally stumbled upon this big, dilapidated structure. When I walked in, the light filtered in from the broken windows, I looked up and felt so small in this enormous empty space.

The VMFA is another one of my favorite places to wander around. Like the hydroelectric factory, the scale of things around you is disproportionate. However, I don’t find it diminishing. Rather the scale is a platform to grab attention, to allow yourself to exist in a space that you wouldn’t normally find in your everyday life.

On the other end of the spectrum, Richmond has numerous small intimate spaces, like the booth of a local coffee shop. One of my favorite photos in this collection, for example, was taken in the upstairs area of Harrison St. Caf?.

I also shot in the West End Antique Mall, which I appreciate, for its magpie like clutter. These types of spaces, where everything is piled on top of each other, can be very therapeutic. They allow you to zone out and just search. If you look close enough you’ll find everything from ornate Victorian chairs with faces carved into the handles to bowls full of tiny pocketknives. At The Book Store on Broad St. I find a similar feeling among the vintage books and home goods. For me, these places have such distinct personalities.

Color was also on important factor in the photos I selected. By using a rich variety of tones, without straying too far into a single palette, I wanted to capture the vibrant feeling that is so unique to these everyday locations.

While each of these Richmond locations provides a good place for reflection, there is also an element of just surrendering and being absorbed by one’s surroundings or activity. The photo of the woman kayaking by herself in the James River, for example. Here the water flowing behind her absorbs her. And the girl shooting in Hollywood Cemetery is similarly absorbed behind her camera.

In each of these images the goal is to show the introvert in their element, enjoying some aspect of Richmond. I intentionally avoided having other people within the frame even if there were other people around. Instead, each photo is about the interaction between the subject and the space. To me, this collection of photographs shows the positive experience of the introverts living within the city.