Shooting Wide Open

Catherine Chalmers, American Cockroach

Catherine Leutenegger

(Thanks, Chris!)

David Moore

A few years ago, David Moore got permission to shoot in the British Ministry of Defense, which resulted in his project The Last Things. There is a short project journal of sorts on his website, where I read this:

As we move toward the end of shooting, I am beginning , again, to question, why have I been allowed to do this. Did the Mod think it would be a PR exercise? Am I being used in some way? Or have they just not thought it through? There is no critical sub text here, it’s about being able to look, but wonder about the context and how this has been understood, or even knowable by the ‘powers that be’. My exotica is their everyday, their everyday, is chilling.

Furthermore, at the end of the book, there’s this list of modified photos. In this case because the MoD requested that certain words and items be removed for security reasons. (Click above to enlarge the scan.) Interesting.

Lorena Endara

Hin Chua

There’s a lot of photographs I’ve seen over the past couple of weeks that I want to get up, but it’s one class to the next and then I conk out after scanning. Creating work on color film to show in the seminar class is a bit hectic – definitely tempted to shoot some digital stuff!

In other news, I may have just sold a print because of An Art Affair. I need to reframe, but it looks like it is happening! Relatively minor in the large scheme of things, but exciting nonetheless!

Wright Morris

I didn’t think much of this photo until I saw the headlines on the newspaper in the background. Gee, what was happening in spring of 1939?

I’m showing 10 of my KZSU shots at An Art Affair, which runs through the end of the day Saturday. If you’re on campus, come by the White Plaza tents and check it out. All of them are 17×22″ and I’m especially proud of this one. The web doesn’t do it justice!

If you haven’t seen literal videos, you are missing out on some high quality laughter. Ah, the 80s, when they knew how to make incoherent yet overdramatic music video plots!

This one is just rarin’ for a literal version. Though on second thought, maybe it doesn’t actually need one…

Last quarter we did blogs for the light class and one of the more interesting videos posted was this one, of some pretty complex stop-action art.

(Thanks, Susan!)

This quarter I’m taking some great classes. Alternative Processes, where we’ll be making cyanotypes, Van Dyke, palladium and gum prints, among other things. The Photo Book, which is the perfect opportunity to make a final object of the radio station photos – I’m thinking something serial and semi-informal (with a web supplement?). A projects seminar, which I’m taking as impetus to get more shooting done on the Mission stuff. Film history from 1960 onward – great excuse to watch Mulholland Drive again, though I’m not sure what to make of the fact that Groundhog’s Day is one of the recommended films, heh heh. And last, an art and science class that focuses on addressing environmental issues with art and culminates in a 2 week roadtrip to Yellowstone.

I’m also taking a beginning singing class. I’ve had this itch to sing in public for a while but the nerves are something else. We’ll see how much croaking in front of people I can withstand before imploding. God forbid I don’t hone my vocal skills in time to serenade the bison on the plain though…

Sam Easterson mounted tiny wireless cameras to the tops of certain animals to record videos of them going about their business, from their perspective. Judging by the teasers from the Royal Ontario Museum, there’s a lot more than what can be found on Youtube (wolf, sheep?), but those ears make the first one the most amusing for me!

You can also watch videos of him talking about his work (ArtBabble) and one of his museum installations in progress.

Kevin R