It’s always the simple things which are the greatest things. Like a site with 44 images.
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With worrying ease, the romance I once held for train journeys has died. The culprit? A daily commute. It’s not so much the jolting motion on the tracks, nor the length of time spent onboard, and certainly not my destination. It is simply the familiarity of it all.
The whistles and bells which once stirred up memories of childhood novels, and bumpy crossings are now merely background noise to the humdrum commute and chattering of fellow passengers. iPods and Pads, muffled bass tones void of lyrics, seeping from headphones.
Things change, and it seems change comes around quickly when we become familiar. Perhaps one day the romance of the train will return, but that is sure to be a day when I am not commuting.
Image from here.
In April 2009 I spent one week blogging about my favourite books. I had forgotten all about this until yesterday evening, when, upon unboxing books, I caught sight of several of those I had mentioned.
This realisation has spurred me to link you back to those blog posts. Here.
I have been wondering today if I can appreciate an image, despite it not being all it can potentially be. Let us take the above for example. In thumbnail size I was immediately drawn toward it, yet after seeing it full size I can see that the framing is somewhat lacking. Those pesky ears are just out of shot.
There is a line at which to draw an end, however, and personally the content will determine greatly how far this line extends. Some images you want so badly to be better, but the mistakes within them, or the style, are too far removed to allow appreciation.
I love the image above, but I love it because I know that it was only an ear or two away from being great, and I love that potential greatness.
It came from here.
The simple days are often those which bring most joy. Listening to this little number from The Stone Roses sent me browsing through historic images of waterfalls. Soon I was lost. Check this, this and this.
The image above is a kodachrome classic, thank you Niagara Falls.
Everyone owns at least one pair, so we must all care a little for shoes. Apparently the average woman owns 27 pairs. The SONS collection (Shoes or No Shoes) is a breathtaking documentation of ethnic and designer footwear. As you flick from page to page you create a cavalcade of footwear history. The above pair, made in St Etienne, France, caught my eye. A nice example of a Workers Clog.
“Keep your writing neat.” The eternal cry from parent and teacher. My handwriting was never neat growing up, in fact it still leaves a lot to be desired. No matter how hard I try, I still end up slouching to the same shapes and squiggles, it’s who I am.
Yes I appreciate that it is advisable to keep it legible, but to only to a certain extent. Each person has their own standard, that’s what I love about handwriting. Matt Convente loves it too. His project, penpencilpaper is a collection of handwriting found and sent.
I highly doubt that Amir Zaki’s short ‘Meditations on the Hollywood Juniper’ was created with the intention of sending people to sleep, but the persistent whispering and the fade to fade imagery has me stumbling toward slumber. That said, I’m not complaining. It’s mesmeric, and altogether illuminating.
As the odd shaped plants come and go you start to argue and find faults in what the people are claiming to see. But it’s more then that which made this stand out to me. It’s the surreal acceptance part way through that this video is playing a large part in the way you are feeling. For me, it was a lullaby. I wonder what it will do to you.
The contents page remains blank, but the process to fill it is in full swing. After much delay and concentration in other areas, mainly this blog, art&sons 2010 is on the verge of being a much needed reality. Expect less blog posts and more behind the scenes work. There is no target date for completion, but you will, of course, be the first to know when it’s available.
What will be in it? Well it’s really an extension of the blog. A chance to branch out from two-hundred word blurbs and single images. To talk in depth to people about their work and showcase art in print format.
The goal is to have a small print run, the reality, a pdf, although I have not given up on the former just yet. Image on second spread from ETC.
Confined to indoors today? Come, walk with me, let us journey around London. Our tour guide, Guy Sargent, has done a most excellent job of preparing our route. I’ll meet you here. Oh and bring your Dad along too.
There is no getting away from the fact that Tierney Gearon takes some pretty disturbing photographs. In fact I don’t think i’ll link you today, just you follow your nose if you so desire.
The crux of the issue, or at least the stigma, is that the content is largely comprised of her children, often naked and usually up to all sorts of antics. For me, the shame is that the truly great images in her collections are ignored, because they fail to provoke like those I have alluded to above.
Take the shot above for example. Amidst her other work it seems mundane, yet perhaps this is the intention, and the warmth this image allows the viewer to feel, after the uncomfortableness of the rest of the work, is what the initial goal was.
It is not possible to view the twenty images Stephen Chalmers has in his ‘Dumpsites’ project, simply as normal photographs. You see, as soon as you realise that the now peaceful woods, still rivers and snow covered hills were once the dumping grounds for serial killers, your gut shrivels and your mind unravels.
The sheer contrast that time has created in so many of these locations. The understanding that these places are beautiful, regardless of what man has been capable of, and in turn the significance of the capturing of these images and naming each one after the victim, well, it’s altogether a heavy piece of work.
In truth I would describe it as an eerie project, yet one which catches me. It had been on show in April, and you can read about that here, at Lightwork. Be sure to take a look through Chalmers’ other projects also.
Remember when you fell in love with that band? Remember when you went on and on about them, their lyrics, their quirks, how the music made you feel? Remember when you made several copies of their album and posted them to your friends? Remember when your friends never mentioned the band to you? Remember when you started and ended every mix cd for two summers with tracks from that band?
The image above, from Richard Colman, reminded me what it may have felt like to be your best friend.
