Eric Kunsman’s solo presentation of Felicific Calculus: Technology as a Social Marker of Race, Class, & Economics brings an ongoing project started as a documentary project and growing into a call for social activism, to the gallery.
“Felicific Calculus: a method of determining the rightness of an action by balancing the probable pleasures and pains that it would produce.” — Merriam Webster Dictionary
Rochester,NY… Eric’s decision to relocate his studio to a less affluent section of Rochester drew concern from friends and co-workers, in spite of his consistently positive experience with the new neighborhood. The realization that the high density of payphones was being used to define the neighborhood as a “war zone” provided the starting point for this project. Eric began photographing and testing the payphones in his new neighborhood and discovered that they provided an important lifeline for some of the poorest residents in the area and the assumed connection to a criminal element was tenuous at best.
This solo exhibition is being presented in conjunction with Amy Becker’s Dead Ringers to shine a light on the impact of changing technology in public spaces. While collectively the exhibitions explore the same subject matter, public payphones, they have different starting points, employ different approaches and arrive at different results
Eric Kunsman: Felicific Calculus: Technology as a Social Marker of Race, Class, & Economics
Opening Reception: March 16th, 5:00 – 8:00 p.m., part of Gallery Night Providence
Exhibition on View: March 16th – April 14th 2023
Artist Statement: Felicific Calculus: Technology as a Social Marker of Race, Class, & Economics
Change in technology has accelerated rapidly in recent years, and in many areas it has outpaced the ability of policy makers to make those advances equally available to socially and economically vulnerable citizens. There also appear to be unconscious biases that come into play, judgements that are formed about people who aren’t able to access contemporary technologies in their daily lives, and who continue to depend on technologies and systems that just a decade or so ago were accepted as “normal.” Those unacknowledged biases, those judgements that are made without basis in fact, can unfortunately lead to ignorant assumptions that incorrectly mislabel a neighborhood or community; or may even lead to dangerous situations when employed by policy makers.- Eric Kunsman
About: Eric Kunsman
Eric is a photographer and book artist based out of Rochester, New York. Eric works at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) as a Lecturer for the Visual Communications Studies Department at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf and is an Assistant Professor for the School of Photographic Arts & Sciences.
Eric holds an MFA in Book Arts/Printmaking from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia and an MS in Electronic Publishing/Graphic Arts Media, BS in Biomedical Photography, BFA in Fine Art photography all from the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York.
Eric is attracted to objects left behind, especially those that hint at a unique human narrative, a story waiting to be told….
Take an interactive 360 tour of the gallery
Eric Kunsman: Felicific Calculus: Technology as a Social Marker of Race, Class, & Economics
Opening Reception: March 16th, 5:00 – 8:00 p.m., part of Gallery Night Providence
Exhibition on View: March 16th – April 14th 2022
The Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts, RICPA
Located in the heart of Providence, RICPA was founded to inspire creative development and provide opportunities to engage with the community through exhibitions, education, publication, and mutual support.
RICPA exists to create a diverse and supportive community for individuals interested in learning or working in Photographic Arts. We strive to provide an environment conducive to the free exchange of ideas in an open and cooperative space. Members should share a passion for creating, appreciating, or learning about all forms of photo-based media. We work to provide a platform for artistic expression, that fosters dialogue and drives innovation in the photographic arts.
The Gallery at the Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts is a member of Gallery Night Providence Gallery Night
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