OCTOBER 2010
SOME NOTES ON THE NEW PICTURES
One hundred ten photographs (some repurposed in a new context), in four sequences, have been added to this site (earlier postings can now be found under "Archives").
The lead sequence is called "Image" and deals with various relationships we have with the pictures of ourselves that surround us. The photographs are, of course, images themselves, but they also depict other kinds of images; images of who we are, or who we think we are, images of who or what we might wish we were, or images that someone else might want us to aspire to. The sequence is about reversal of awareness, and surrender of will. In the beginning we are thoughtful of, and sometimes even awed by what we see, but by the end, the images, and the consciousness they represent, become more aware of us than we are of them. Along the way we pass through various stages of mimicry and assimilation, images alone, and relationships of mutual ignorance until finally, the images look out at us with various expressions of perplexed amusement, shock and surprise, and near scornful hilarity which is tempered, in the end, by a kind of comforting acceptance.
Next is a short group of tree shadows in which the tree that casts the shadow is not visible in the picture, leaving the shadow as the only evidence of the tree. While anyone can, and will, bring whatever they want to their experience of a picture, I intend no specific symbolism here (the bent tree, the reaching tree, the ominous tree, etc.). It's just a simple exercise in unapologetic formalism, which I rather enjoy.
"World of Strangers" is about being in the company of, or being surrounded by people you don't know and who don't know you, and who don't know each other, and who you will likely never know or ever see again; lives that will remain untouched and unknown. The sequence here is shaped like a bell curve, opening with some shots of stationary individuals, alone with their thoughts, and ending with more individuals, still alone, but now on the move. In between it builds to pairs and then to increasingly larger groups and finally crowds of people, all unknown to and unaware of each other, passing without interaction or recognition, and then... it winds back down again.
"Some Things I Saw in the Park on My Way to Work in the Morning" is exactly what it says it is. It is about living life with your eyes open, about the simple joys of looking. The first picture is an allusion to the act of taking a photograph in the park (or anywhere); superimposing a rectangle, including and excluding, defining an edge. Then it's off and running, skipping here and there in a visually oriented sequence that is non-linear, non-narrative, and non-thematic, in much the same disjointed way that the photographs were taken. A happy dog; a shadow cast on droplets of water suspended in the air; a tree behind a fence; a backlit boy dancing with goats; a red flag; pine needles washed into S curves by heavy rain the night before; the wind blowing through a tree, and so on... just some things I saw.
Meanwhile, I'll keep looking around, and if I see anything interesting I'll let you know.
Thank you.