Re: SPE and alt update

[Clay Harmon <wcharmon@wt.net>]

Chris et al,

I was struck by the same 'dearth of alt' at this year's Fotofest  
Meeting Place venue in which I participated. One of the great ideas  
they introduced this year was meet-the-artists event which allowed all  
the artists participating in the Meeting Place to spread their wares  
on an 8 foot table in a large ballroom. There were probably about a  
hundred or so tables set up, and the public was encouraged to come in  
and window shop. It also allowed all the participants to wander around  
and look at other people's work. Neat idea. But to get around to my  
point, I counted only 5 alt-process printers in the whole room. So  
probably less than 5%.

Fortunately one of the alt-artists was Soo Kang Kim (sp?), a South  
Korean gummist who produces large and luscious tri-color gums. I  
chatted with her for a while, and she mentioned that many of her 22x30  
inch gums have as many as 10 gum layers on them. I was impressed with  
her incredible technique. The prints are compositionally spare and  
just (as they say here in Texas) purdy as all get-out.  If you ever  
get a chance to see her work, jump at the opportunity.

My impression of the evening is that it appears that if you print very  
large color prints with a deadpan / ironic esthetic approach to the  
subject, you are bobbing quite happily in the  tranquil seas of  
photography's current idiom.

And then there are the people like us.

Clay






On Apr 1, 2008, at 9:27 PM, Christina Z. Anderson wrote:

> Second point:  what a dearth of alt process there was at the  
> conference. There was  a huge portfolio sharing Friday night with a  
> grand ballroom filled with table upon table of work. The only alt I  
> remember was a couple cyanotypes, a couple VDB's, a portfolio of  
> platinum prints by Gary Auerbach who I think is on this list (?),  
> and verrrrry little gelatin silver prints either!!  7 of my students  
> came, 6 of whom had their portfolios on tables, two of whom showed  
> alt/experimental work.  We live in a time of digital c-prints, and  
> large ones at that.  Kind of...ubiquitous. Now, granted, I might not  
> have seen every table, but I think it is a very fair statement that  
> alt was barely visible.  More power for us altees to shine.
>
> I was most impressed when I met Alida Fish at the U Arts booth.  I  
> got to see her tintypes.  They are gorgeous.  They may be at Schmidt  
> Dean gallery schmidtdean.com still because I have a brochure of her  
> images from there. But I bet she has a website also.
>
> It's so much fun being a creative anachronist, isn't it? Maybe we  
> should scan our alt prints and all print huge digital c-prints of  
> them???
>
> A lot of people seem to be using whitehouse custom color for  
> digiprints...
>
> Enough for tonight,
> Chris
>
>
>
> _______________
> Christina Z. Anderson
> CZAphotography.com
> _______________