Terry A. Ratzlaff, a photography graduate student in the Department of Art and Art History, will present a free public lecture about his work “The Watcher” at 5:30 p.m. Oct 3 in Richards Hall, Room 15. He also has an installation of related work on view in the Medici Gallery through Oct 5.
Craig C. has been watching trains from the parking lot of The Old Mill since 1983. The physical act of reappearing for 35 years can be viewed as a negative act, since that which repeats does so by means of either a natural inadequacy attributed to it or by not comprehending, not remembering or not recognizing. Like Craig obsessively searching for meaning within the operations of trains, Ratzlaff obsessively searched for meaning in Craig watching trains, only to discover much more meaning than anticipated. Using various forms of the photo book, “The Watcher” explores the banality of existence by focusing on the minutiae of passing time where everything is significant and full of wonder.
Prior to coming to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for graduate study, Ratzlaff worked as a freelance photographer. His work has been published and featured in print by Vanity Fair, Bloomberg Businessweek, the New York Times, VICE, Huck and the FT Weekend. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. In June 2019, he mounted a solo exhibition of “The Watcher” at Pattern Gallery in Denver, CO. in 2018, he was named Flash Forwards Top 100 photographers by The Magenta Foundation and his artist book, “The Watcher” has recently been collected by the College of William and Mary.