On the Verge by Chandler Sowden

Issue 72

For many, there comes a point in life where a larger society sees you as more than a child, but not quite an adult. My point came during my four years of college, where I was left drifting in a space where I began to define myself by my lack of definition. Reinforced and shaped by social behaviors that seem unacceptable beyond college life, my reality became one that I, as many others before and with me, was expected to leave behind.

My work in On the Verge seeks to make this temporary reality permanent. By the end of my four years, I found myself fascinated by the idea of this created place my friends and I had constructed for ourselves. We watched each other be consumed with the feeling of living on the verge of the rest of our lives—expectations waiting for us beyond graduation—that many felt were unattainable. In my work, the scenes of a vibrant college life are intertwined with the many emotions and uncertainties that come with late adolescence as adult life rapidly approaches. I photographed to understand and to remember this strange transient identity that is so unique to the early twenties and late adolescence.  

Chandler Sowden lives and works in Washington, D.C.
To view more of Chandler's work, please visit her website.

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