How do the images we see shape our perception of reality?

“We’re like goldfish in a bowl,” said Wing Young Huie, photographer and presenter. “But we don’t know we’re in the bowl.” In his upcoming workshop at the Scharmann Theatre at Jamestown Community College, he hopes to help others recognize their “bowls” and, perhaps, broaden their thoughts. He questions how deep America’s obsession with pop culture goes and how much of what is seen is actually authentic.

“We are inundated with images,” he said, adding that with the rise of social media, this phenomenon has grown. “We have to decide how much of that is real and genuine.” In his presentations, Huie asks the participants questions geared to get them thinking about the images they see, what they think reality is and what face they present to the public.

Huie’s workshop at JCC, “Identity and the American Landscape: How Photographs Inform Us,” will pose these questions and more to attendees. He will display his work, have discussions with participants, and ask questions to provoke thought.

“Even in the best photograph, you can’t see what is underneath,” he said. “We have a public face and a private face.” Huie said his workshop is “a way to get outside of your personal bubble.”

“My goal is to show you what I do; I walk around the streets with my camera, with my own biases,” he said, adding that many biases are unconscious. “I show you ‘this is what I do and this is what I’ve learned.'”

Huie takes to the streets, using his photography to capture everyday life in the Twin Cities, catching humanity in intimate glimpses.

“I’ve been a photographer in the Twin Cities and around the country,” he said, adding that he started out as an assignment reporter at the Minneapolis Daily. “Then, I bought my first camera, and decided I wanted to be a photographer.” Huie taught himself photography, building an extensive portfolio. He has been featured in museums nationally and internationally and had several exhibits throughout the country. Some of his well-known projects include: Frogtown (1995), Lake Street USA (2000) and The University Avenue Project (2010). In many exhibits, Huie transformed the urban landscape into an art gallery, showing authentic reality in the outdoors. Huie showcases diversity and urban life in his projects, bringing situations and instances to the public eye that aren’t always displayed.

“As a result, I’ve been invited to give lectures and workshops to all ages,” he said. “It’s hard to say who is more reluctant – businessmen or middle schoolers.” Huie explained that many people, especially of younger generations, never think about the impact a mass amount of images and pop culture might have on society. Oftentimes, when these questions are poised, it is the first time the participants have thought about it, said Huie.

“It is important to understand how your point of view is different from other people’s and how you arrived there,” he said. Huie finds the amount of pop culture available to the public a bit disturbing, especially in youth. “Young people are losing the ability to read faces – they have online relationships and read emoticons. If you grow up in this and this is your normal, what is real?”

On Feb. 23 at 7 p.m., Huie will expand the horizons of many and challenge pop culture all in one night. The event is free and open to the public. For more information about Wing Young Huie and his work, visit www.wingyounghuie.com. For more information regarding the event at JCC, call 338-1047.