As
a fan of college football, I decided to look into Lauren Greenfield’s series “UT
Football.” It is a series of images from the 2010 BCS Championship game between
the University of Texas Longhorns, and the University of Alabama Crimson Tide,
particularly during tailgating prior to the game. Ms. Greenfield shows a
variety of ways people prep up for a game.
This series of photographic images
were taken prior to the 2010 BCS National Championship game, being held at the
Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. It has a variety of people engaging in
tailgating activities. There are UT students using a “beer bong.” There are
pictures of families hanging out at their campers, wearing bright orange and
white clothing, and faces painted. There are also several images featuring the “Texas
Exes,” a group of alumni from the University of Texas.
In each of the images, the aperture was
likely very small, because the there is a very deep depth of field, with even
the backgrounds being very sharp. The shutter speed was also a very fast one,
as the image where the cheerleaders are doing their routine at the Texas Exes
tailgate party, you can see their hair in motion.
It seems that the purpose of this
work is to show how different people engage in a common custom. At the Texas
Exes tailgating, which Ms. Greenfield mentions is a private party, you see both
men and women smoking cigars, as well as having the UT Marching Band perform.
This party also featured a private concert by Lyle Lovett. This is contrasted
by an image of other Longhorns fans at the Rose Bowl, but watching it on a TV
since they were unable to get tickets. She even shows how limo drivers were
watching the game on TV’s outside of the stadium. Other images show a family
who had driven to Pasadena from Phoenix, with both father and son dressed in
orange and white, with faces painted to match. To me the most memorable
pictures were the ones of college students, using a beer bong and “shotgunning”
cans of beer. There’s also an image where the students seem to be almost
mocking the alumni by also puffing on cigars. There is one memorable image of
an Alabama fan’s bus being toilet-papered by some Texas fans.
I was able to find one additional
interpretation of the work. The reviewer (who is not named) mentions the
various ways people arrived at the game, from rented RV’s to million-dollar
tour buses. From Ms. Greenfield’s website, it appears she was trying to capture
the essence of what tailgating at a University of Texas game looks like. There
are wealthy people there, with their extravagant jewelry and limousines. There
are blue-collar guys, crushing beer cans on their foreheads. There are students
making the most of their college experience.
I believe this series did an
excellent job of artistically expressing what tailgating at a college football
game is. It is people getting together, who enjoy being around other likeminded
people. Though they may express their support for their team in different ways,
they are all there wanting to cheer on their favorite team.
