Teresa Hubbard/Alexander Birchler

When reading through “The Photographs as Contemporary Art” I noticed a photographer that I was particularly interested in. Never heard of her before this moment, I read on and realized this would be the kind of photography I would do if I was a professional. Her name is Teresa Hubbard and she works alongside her life-long partner Alexander Birchler. These two photographers basically set up a scene that would be displayed in a movie, hire professional actors, and take still images capturing the essence in which is captured on the silver screen.
The following photos are taken from different collections of their works in which I have done some research on. There were certain things within the pictures that I grasped onto and analyzed completely, then again there was some that didn’t connect with me and didn’t see any real art in it.



This particular photograph was taken in Hubbard/Birchler “stripping series” There is a very good use to color in this image. I don’t see any parts of the pictures that may have gotten washed out. The Tinseltown USA is very vibrant and is my center focal point. The names of the movies on both the sides don’t distract me in that you cannot make out the text. Sometimes text in a picture can really take away the originality of what you’re trying to go for but in this image it doesn’t. This image looks as though it is a painting and was taken at a very early time of day or early evening. The timing was perfect.


I am intrigued with this picture which is in their series “stripping” The message behind these images is the fact that you can see half of the upstairs and another half of the downstairs. This reminds me of a doll in a doll house, where you can see all the different levels. The walls are curved and is like a quaint little room.
The following two photos below are part of Hubbard/Birchlers Arsenal collection. These images really got my attention quickly because it’s talking about the cinema and theatre and that’s where my interest lies. In the first picture I don’t think the text distracts you instead it gives you a location. Sometimes images can get ruined by giving text but then again if the location is not clear than text can also clear things up. It’s important how much and when to add it if needed. The woman stands out in this image because of the rose red shirt she is wearing. If you look closely at the objects around her you will see tiny hints of that red around the image, for example: on the woman’s right hand side and on the left with the Mentos, poster, and coca cola. The arsenals in the back show a different shade of red so the two don’t match. Again I love the use of color.

The second image is another one from “Arsenal” The redness of everything in this image illuminates the woman’s very pale skin. The flashlight shows a glimmer of a flash on the red seats behind. There is one dark shadow in the black seat.

I think my favorite series was the “falling down” I love pictures with a lot of motion and things going on in them. That’s why I have never been a super huge fan of portraits. I wanted to show the first image in this series because even though this is my favorite series I am not a huge fan of the image itself. I don’t like how you see the text of Greyhound in the background, I think if the bus was named something more spectacular it could have added to the image. If the letters were in different color that would also add the image. The same bluish grey tint is featured in the image the only difference in color is featured in the money. This photo has motion in it but really struck me as a very mundane image with nothing to grasp onto. No ambiguous quality in which strikes me as an observer. I am fascinated with the second image I like the fact that the line is softy shining on her legs and the different shapes and textures which are featured in this particular image. I like the differences in socioeconomic status in that she appears to be dressed nicely while
Standing directly in front of a trailer which signifies poorness. The sand appears to be soft so for her to take off her shoes seems normal, however she could be dropping them to put them on. In the third image I just really enjoyed the quality of light that is placed on the cup. I like the ways the camera captured the spoon and cup right at that particular moment. The fourth image enticed me in that the use of color, this person looks like a clown or a jester. His hands are so white which matches the eggs perfectly which are falling. The bread and the background freezer match his left leg pants and the Campbell’s soup matches his right size leg pants. This image has a lot to do with matching colors with colors. His pure white hand matches the background freezer area components. This matching is appealing to my eyes. The fifth image was just a satisfying shade of pink to me in a dark background library.

This image from “House with a pool” is very appealing to my eyes. The richness of the different shades of blue throughout the image. This image has a very eerie quality in that this girl appears to be napping on her pool chair and is gazed upon by wild animals that somehow got into her back yard.

IN Hubbard/Birchler series “eight” the first image I wanted to point out was not that appealing to me. The artificial light all around the room however is not on her face, which makes her face appear blurry. This image doesn’t give me anything and is not a winner for me…. The second image I found in “eight” really grasps my attention. I love how the little girl’s reflection is seen so clearly in the window. You cannot see her actual face in person but through the window you can see her intense emotions. The little girl appears to be upset that she cannot go outside on her eighth birthday, and is very melancholy. The rain is coming down very heavily and without the image actually moving in person you can see it in your imagination. The girl just seems to be staring at the rain as it falls down hard ruining her perfect day.

I was very impressed with the “single wide” series that they had. In the first image everything was very neat in order. The doll house on the left hand side reminded me of my description before in the “stripping series” how the lady looked like a doll that was placed in the doll house. There is a sense of a likeness of dolls and how they are placed everywhere within the room. I get a sense that maybe the eight year old from the “eight” series lives here. Tying in photos from different collections is fun to me because it gives me a sense of a movie taking place here. Everything is in order and is perfect which brings me to the second image the first thing I notice is the rug on the floor, that rug is the same exact that is featured above in the Childs room. The different colors and textures are not hard to miss. Everything in the kitchen is also in place like a perfect room in a perfect life. However you then get to the third image and you realize that life only appears to be great on the outside but inside the person is screaming and drives the perfection into chaos. The woman in the car looks as though it was painted the blue lighting was set perfectly on her to make it show a complete work of art. You look at these perfect images and than realize they are too perfect and something has to be wrong, and then you see the third image and realize there is something incredibly wrong.

I love the work that Teresa Hubbard/Alexander Birchler do. If I were a professional I would go down this route. They have hidden meanings in their photos and in order to find them out you have to use your own imagination because they’re not clearly labeled in front of you. That’s what I love about photography like this it’s not written clearly what is going on you have to assume and then dig deeper to find the hidden meanings. From everything that I have said it’s all my opinions and if you disagree I would love to hear your thoughts.
Thanks for taking time to read this :)

Works Cited:

Teresa Hubbard and Alexander Birchler Texts:

Hubbard, Teresa, and Alexander Birchler. No Room to Answer. Hatje Cantz, 2008.

Hubbard, Teresa, and Alexander Birchler. House with a Pool . Christoph Merian Verlag , 2005.

Hubbard, Teresa, and Alexander Birchler. Wild Walls. Kerber, 2002.

Von Amelunxen , Hubertus, and Philip Ursprung . Teresa Hubbard and Alexander Birchler: Scene . Codax, 1998.

Teresa Hubbard and Alexander Birchler Essays:

Momim, Shamim. "Single Wide." Exhibition Catalogue 'Single Wide' Whitney Museum of American Art at Altria 2004

Ingelmann, Dr. Inka Graeve- Curator of Photography and New Media Filmstills

Molon Dominic- Asscociate Curator, Mueseum of Contemporary Art Chicago, First published in: Exhibition Catalogue “House with a Pool” 2004

Theresa Hubbard and Alexander Birchler Wesbites:
http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/hubbardbirchler/
http://www.hubbardbirchler.net/