By Angelina Capots
Buildings that often fade into the background of everyday life take center stage in senior Kaylee Ligon’s photography exhibit at the Andrew Ross Gallery. Ligon invites viewers to examine the structures that surround us from a different perspective. The pieces emphasize the artistry within the architecture.
Her collection is described as a “display of abstract architecture,” highlighting underappreciated shapes and perspectives.
Growing up, Ligon was surrounded by many artistic influences that shaped her own artistic drive. She was inspired by her father’s bathroom and kitchen designs and developed an appreciation for many art styles through her aunt and grandmother’s art store.
Ligon said she would follow her father to work, often finding herself “sketching out rooms and buildings on scrap pieces of paper.” She made artistic connections with customers at the store who shared their work, such as “a woman who once came in, she taught me how to make origami jumping frogs … that’s something I still remember how to do to this day.”
Because of these experiences, Ligon has developed an appreciation for the beauty in things that others may not always notice.
Ligon’s original project was driven by her interest in Brutalist architecture. “It’s something commonly hated by most people … I think it’s so interesting how geometric the buildings are. They are so intimidating; a lot of times they are made out of concrete, which gives an interesting, harder texture to them, and I started to seek out more brutalist buildings … I was fascinated by them and kept searching for them,” Ligon said.
She mapped out buildings in both Blacksburg and Richmond, originally trying to avoid greenery to highlight the architecture. “In a lot of the first few photos, I took out a lot of the trees … The further I got, especially in Richmond, which was my last location, I couldn’t escape the trees … they were everywhere. I got to a point where, like the structure, I felt like I should embrace the greenery and the trees.”
Her pieces were first presented in a contemporary photography class last fall. When she laid out the photos, both Ligon and Professor Sal Privertera felt that these pieces were already a show in their own right, only missing a space to display them. Ligon reached out to Ross Gallery curator Nathan Popp, asking if it was possible to present her work in McConnell Library.
The collection is now on display in the Andrew Ross Gallery, where a reception was held Aug. 28 to celebrate her work. Ligon said she is grateful for her professor and the curator of the gallery. “Not only has this opened many doors and opportunities for me, but for many other students as well.”
Ligon’s collection, The Beauty in Structure, is on display from Aug. 18 through Oct. 2 in the Andrew Ross Gallery on the third floor of McConnell Library.
