Photographer faces her fear

Connie Imboden explains her unique works on display in Bangor

Posted on Sept. 14, 2009, at 1:42 a.m.

Up until 16 years ago, Connie Imboden had never owned a bathing suit. Imboden is a nationally lauded artist who photographs nude forms underwater, choosing scuba gear, weight belts, strobes and mirrors for mediums and tools. Imboden’s lack of appropriate apparel meant she never had to confront the water — her life’s phobia — until she finally took the plunge for art.

She explains the origin of her fear: “There were some traumatic moments, neighborhood children trying to drown me [in play].”

The fact that she could never truly see underwater also proved problematic and terrifying in childhood. Prescription goggles now afford her greater vision, both artistically and literally. These fears are to thank for Imboden’s viscously themed exhibit at the University of Maine Art Museum in downtown Bangor. So is her mother. When she was 16 and without a summer job, Imboden’s mother handed her a summer course catalog from the Maryland Institute of Art and suggested a class in basic photography.

“It was for me. I fell in love. It’s something I was passionate about and am still passionate about,” Imboden said. It wasn’t until 1993 that she finally went underwater. Inspired by yearnings to find what is invisible to most, Imboden wields her fear as a tool: She pushes herself in order to empower her work.

Intuition and the refusal to technologically manipulate her work characterize Imboden’s approach.

“My intention has always been to explore the body, not to alter it,” Imboden said. She works intuitively, letting her eyes lead the camera. While engaged with the subject, Imboden does not think or plan. She saves this for the darkroom, a process she describes as “articulating her eyes.” Her aquatic studios have included kiddie pools, streams and hot tubs, although she now enjoys the use of a custom black bottom pool. Using mirrors and water’s intersecting lines, she submerges herself with models as they float above her.

Imboden, with her shock of blonde hair and scarlet-framed glasses, explains how she has always held an extremely visual perspective of the world. This is dramatically expressed through her photographs. The utilization of raw flesh contrasted with fluidity, lines of symmetry, reflection and nude form challenges the viewer. This is Imboden’s intent. She leaves most of her works untitled, identifiable only by a serial number. This is an effort to distance herself from her work on behalf of the viewer.

“I didn’t want to imply interference. I want the viewer to have their own reaction; I try to step out,” Imboden said. This anonymity is shared in her work. She strolls around the softly lit gallery and points to one photograph in particular: Although from a distance it resembles a heart, it actually is a reflective representation of a heel.

“You know you’re looking at flesh [but you don’t know what it is]; nothing is more attractive and repulsive.” Her photos are all black, white and shades of gray. Displayed in lightwood frames with white mattes, most are gelatin silver prints. In regard to the use of light and dark, Imboden knows there is no such thing as black and white. “In order to be truly expressive, and to define light, you have to know darkness.” Her works tap into the unconscious and often lead to uncomfortable, dark places. She acknowledges that, “in our culture, [we] deem anything that is not soft or pretty as dark.” For Imboden, the presence of darkness permits light.

Born in Baltimore, Imboden received her art and painting degree at the Maryland Institute College of Art — where she has had tenure for the past 15 years. She completed her graduate degree in photography at the University of Delaware. In addition to teaching at her alma mater, Imboden conducts a one-week workshop in conjunction with Maine Media Workshops, an artistic destination in Rockport that promotes photography, film and video, multimedia and design. Imboden instructs a workshop in photographing the nude form, something that she has been doing for over 25 years, but for many of those attending her workshop it is a shocking and visceral experience.

“Form is form,” Imboden said. She requests nude models of every body type for her workshops in order to expand artistic creation.

“It’s really challenging,” Imboden said. “I like pushing people to a new place.” She speaks of the difficulties involved with photographing the nude, including repressed sexualities and body image issues. This psychological confrontation only strengthens the works produced — something that is evident in Imboden’s own confrontation with her fear of the water.

“I don’t think it’s a coincidence,” she said, referring to the use of water as her ultimate medium. “It’s Psychology 101, I think.”

She points out that we, as humans, are always attracted to what is feared.

Imboden’s exhibit, “Elegant Darkness,” will be at the University of Maine Museum of Art until September 19.

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