Dakota Sumpter

I completed this project in the spring of 2018, using photographs and footage accumulated over the last year. These photo-collages and video were presented for my senior thesis exhibition at Auburn University. Turning the camera onto myself, to show my experience running, is a new method of working for me that explores the potential of autobiographical image making. Utilizing small-format cameras permitted me to make images more rapidly, expressing the contemplative and repetitive nature of running. Video also allowed for me to document the performance and preparation of running, where I then used the track as a backdrop to construct the film. Vignettes of my preparation leading up to the performance of one mile on the track appear in intervals, emulating the cyclical nature of the track. Throughout the project I have remained intrigued by the processes of accumulation and, as well as the cyclical nature of running, and searching for methods to combine both is an interest to me as an artist.