Artist: Photograph is a Metaphor For How We Are Disappearing

Last week, Patch featured a photograph by East Quogue resident Meryl Spiegel and asked readers what they thought of it in a series we call, First Impressions.

The following is what readers had to say:

, said, "Time to get a new camera."

said, "Means my camera needs a new lens...or I have to see an eye Dr."

said, "Impression of dissapering person in this piece makes me feel that you are here at this moment but some where else the next minute. Fast moving life style makes everybody running around so fast that we do not have time for any intimacy, and we are alone most of the time."

wrote, "Daily life, these days, are run on the fast forward button. This image reminds me that if I go along that fast, I'll lose the essence of who I am and no one will actually get to know me."

said, "I see a secure person walking on a sunny day, with her head up, carrying nothing, just herself, enjoying the moment. The photo conveys a feeling of movement, like floating in the air, but with two feet on the ground. I like it..."

commented, "The photo has an ethereal quality to it. Is she in a hurry or just strolling in a dreamliike state? It's interesting."

offered, "This is a beautiful image! It has a very interesting composition with good diagonal lines leading to the center of focus--the person. The repetition of the vertical lines in the background also make this composition work well. Yes, it is supposed to be out of focus! (I just read some of the other comments)...."

said, "Who am I? Where am I going? What is my hurry? In my determination to move forward, am I missing discovering all of who I am? Meryl, ths is a powerful image and I look forward to more in this series."

said, "The photo reminds me how quickly we move thru life ,oblivious to even our own existence. Is this what you were thinking?"

wrote, "I see a strong confident & superficial woman who is out of touch with what's really important in her life. The strong geometry contrasts the woman's lack of solidity."

The Artist's Turn

Meryl Spiegel said her piece, called Scissored, was taken in South Miami as part of her current, ongoing photography series entitled  —  a social commentary on how technology is affecting personal communication. She explained that "the ghostly image is a metaphor for how we are disappearing — living in isolation as we rely more and more on social media, texting, e-mail, etc. to communicate instead of speaking voice-to-voice or face-to-face."

Speigel further pointed out that the piece depicts a woman that is "gliding by, slowly disappearing, she's wrapped up in where she's going, how she looks and what she might become. She's loosing touch, being absorbed by all that surrounds her.  Hands and legs scissored, she's cut off from us and we from her."

Editor's Note: First Impressions is curated by East Quogue artist Meryl Spiegel. If you would like to be a part of this series, e-mail Erica.Jackson@Patch.com.