Audra Brown interviews Martha Davis about her exhibition, “Diorama Dramas”. Martha discusses her work and shows the book she has created.
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Published by Martha Davis
Martha Davis is a still photographer, award-winning independent filmmaker, children's book author and recently retired elementary school teacher.
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2 thoughts on “Dioramas on CityNews!”
Could you elaborate on how your dioramas, as featured in the “Diorama Dramas” exhibition, reflect the intersection between art and storytelling? The way you integrate scenes and characters seems to blur the lines between traditional art and modern narrative, which must offer the viewers a unique experience. I’m curious about the process you undergo to create these dioramas, especially how you decide on the themes and stories you want to convey. Visit us Telkom University Jakarta
Thank you for your interesting comment on my work, Khairun. The dioramas do encourage viewers to “write” their own story as they interpret the work. I do allow the same “characters” to float through several scenes, so that as one experiences the work, there is some continuity. The themes are ones that concern all of us and my three biggest ones are Climate, Food Insecurity and Housing. Without health in these three areas, human life itself is at risk. Many dioramas intertwine two or themes each: Animal Welfare, Technology, Belonging, Healthcare, Childcare, Refugees.
As for my process, I usually begin with the theme and generally have an image in my head. I think about my background, sides and floor early on. I start laying down objects and quickly fill up the space. Then it is a matter of subtraction, removing elements and juggling things around until I’m satisfied. I create my backgrounds on my iPad, collaging elements from many copyright-free web sources, then send them to a printer a few blocks away. I carefully photograph the diorama in my studio before taking it out to the Lightbox for installation. Since last summer, I’ve also been making video reels on IG of each diorama, which are reaching a whole new audience. Check them out @davisphotog727. I think I’ve made about twenty so far.
I hope this answers your questions and provides you with some insight. There’s an informative interview with me in the “Journal of Wild Culture“. The link to it can be found in the DIORAMA section of my website.
GREEN SCREEN QUEEN 
Could you elaborate on how your dioramas, as featured in the “Diorama Dramas” exhibition, reflect the intersection between art and storytelling? The way you integrate scenes and characters seems to blur the lines between traditional art and modern narrative, which must offer the viewers a unique experience. I’m curious about the process you undergo to create these dioramas, especially how you decide on the themes and stories you want to convey. Visit us Telkom University Jakarta
Thank you for your interesting comment on my work, Khairun. The dioramas do encourage viewers to “write” their own story as they interpret the work. I do allow the same “characters” to float through several scenes, so that as one experiences the work, there is some continuity. The themes are ones that concern all of us and my three biggest ones are Climate, Food Insecurity and Housing. Without health in these three areas, human life itself is at risk. Many dioramas intertwine two or themes each: Animal Welfare, Technology, Belonging, Healthcare, Childcare, Refugees.
As for my process, I usually begin with the theme and generally have an image in my head. I think about my background, sides and floor early on. I start laying down objects and quickly fill up the space. Then it is a matter of subtraction, removing elements and juggling things around until I’m satisfied. I create my backgrounds on my iPad, collaging elements from many copyright-free web sources, then send them to a printer a few blocks away. I carefully photograph the diorama in my studio before taking it out to the Lightbox for installation. Since last summer, I’ve also been making video reels on IG of each diorama, which are reaching a whole new audience. Check them out @davisphotog727. I think I’ve made about twenty so far.
I hope this answers your questions and provides you with some insight. There’s an informative interview with me in the “Journal of Wild Culture“. The link to it can be found in the DIORAMA section of my website.