Collective Effervescence
Photos By Muzi Rowe
Collective Effervescence is a photo exhibition that appeared at the Sacramento State senior photography class show Invisible Threads.
A psychological term coined by Emile Durkheim, the father of sociology, Collective Effervescence describes the feeling of collective bonding, heightened emotion and group-solidarity found in large social gatherings. This collective emotions inflates to the point where each individual fades into a group & shares the same emotions and/or feelings. It is one of the main reasons humans like to gather, and how religions have formed as a part of human cultures.
My installation aims to capture this phenomenon through the medium of photography. I attended several shows in the Sacramento Area, capturing the aesthetic of the show, the energy and collective effervescence the artists inspired, and how the crowd diffuses this energy. Additionally, when applicable, the artists were interviewed post-performance to share their insights on music, performing live, and what they achieve with both.
