Elijah Gowin ’90 (American, b. 1967)
Into the Sun 40, 2009
Archival pigment print
Gift of Malú Alvarez, Class of 2002
When I first laid eyes on this piece of artwork on the wall in Wall, I couldn’t help but be instantly transported to a place that’s practically a staple of the Davidson experience: Lake Campus, or as it’s affectionately known, Lampus. Now, let me clarify, I’m not saying this piece is a direct depiction of the campus itself, but rather, it evokes the exact feeling of being there. If you’re familiar with Davidson, you know that Lake Campus becomes a bit of a weekend hotspot when the weather warms up, especially during the spring semester. It’s the perfect place to gather with friends, take a dip in the lake, and bask in the sun with zero cares in the world.
For me, the image on the wall encapsulates a moment that happens time and time again at Lake Campus: the moment you sit up after having lain in the sun for hours. Your body is warm, your eyes are still adjusting from the bright sunlight, and there’s this odd sense of disorientation, like the world is slightly blurry, but everything feels so relaxed. This work captures that exact feeling. I can almost imagine that the trees in the artwork are the same ones on Lake Campus’s little peninsula. The ones you can see if you’re facing the lake, with the trees lined up on your right-hand side. It’s like they’ve been transplanted from my memory right into this art.
The way the light in the artwork hits also reminds me of the overwhelming brightness you get when the sun is just too much to handle, blinding everything around you. It’s like that warm glow that washes over everything, making the details fade away, leaving you with just the intense feeling of heat and relaxation. Now, unlike the print, I’m fortunate enough not to experience black dots in my vision after being in the sun for too long, but the disorienting effect is still there, everything seems to blur together into a hazy golden light.
It’s almost as if Elijah Gowin was able to capture the sensation of being present in that very moment at Lampus: the warmth, the sun, the feeling of just existing in that peaceful, carefree space. Looking at the piece, I couldn’t help but think that art has this incredible ability to make you revisit a time and place, even if it’s only for a brief moment. That’s what this piece did for me, reminded me of the best days spent at Lake Campus with friends, lying in the sun, chatting, laughing, and feeling like the world outside of that bubble didn’t matter.
If you’d like to learn more about this piece and hear another take on the artwork, be sure to check out Molly Smith ’24’s blog post.
Elijah Gowin was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1967 and received his BA from Davidson College and MFA in Photography from the University of New Mexico. His photographs are in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Center for Creative Photography, among others. His awards include the John S. Guggenheim Fellowship in 2008 as well as grants from the Charlotte Street Foundation and the Puffin Foundation. He founded Tin Roof Press to publish his books on art and photography including Maggie in 2009 and his monograph Of Falling and Floating in 2011. Presently, he is a Professor in the Department of Media, Art, and Design at the University of Missouri-Kansas City where he directs photographic studies. Gowin is represented by Robert Mann Gallery (New York), Page Bond Gallery (Richmond, VA) and, PGI (Tokyo). (from artist’s website)
– Oliver Poduschnick ’25