Re: F295 symposium long synopsis
Many thanks for the info. that should help me get after it. Rajul
On 3-Jun-09, at 6:48 AM, Christina Z. Anderson wrote:
Rajul,
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw_2_12?url=search-alias%
3Daps&field-keywords=what+remains+sally+mann&sprefix=what+remains
At Amazon.com
and
http://www.amazon.com/Photographers-Dan-Estabrook-None/dp/
0963100432/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1244035752&sr=8-1
Dan's is the Photographer Series one. I show his video in my alt
class, Sally Mann's video in my documentary class.
Two things I like about these videos. Mann shows her vulnerability
in her video--when her show gets cancelled at the Pace (McGill?)
gallery. I have always been a bit undecided about her series on
her family but understood it much better after the video. But I
also really admire her complete commitment to photography.
Dan's way of working is very unique--salt prints of course, and
little ones. He now will paint on his prints, odd little additions
that don't seem to fit the image. For those of you down South,
apparently he is taking over for Scott McMahon at Penland this
summer, whenever that is. Teaching gum, tho, not salt.
Keith Carter's is also good and I show that in my Experimental
Photography class. I would assume you could save money and get all
three through Netflix but I haven't checked. I had to purchase
them because I never know when I might need to show them. And I
have to mention two non-alt videos--ones on Eddie Adams and Shelby
Lee Adams. Excellent, both, to show in a doc class.
One last thing--Jim and Carol's salt prints--they were very large--
at least 16x20 if not larger. They were on vellum paper. They
were of their garden vegetation, laid out photogram style in their
back yard under sheets of glass for hours, just like Burchfield
does--then fixed as normal. They looked very parchment like and
velvety. They were mounted on a backing mat, tacked on at the top,
or "hinged" I think the saying is, so you could lift them up and
feel them. The totally exposed part of the photogram was deep
brown, but where the plants lay was all shades of purple, etc.,
depending on the acidity/chemistry of the plant itself. But of
course, as is true of any photograms of this nature, the
compositions were what made the work.
Yes, Jack and Bob, bison steak is a bit sweeter and leaner and
lighter than beef. Another one that is great but a bit stronger is
elk, but don't usually see that on the menu for some reason. Elk
is a close cousin to beef as well. For those who don't like deer
(me) bison and elk are good game choices. Especially with a good
red wine :)
Chris
__________________
Christina Z. Anderson
http://christinaZanderson.com/
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----- Original Message ----- From: "Rajul" <eyeear@shaw.ca>
To: <alt-photo-process-l@usask.ca>
Sent: Wednesday, June 03, 2009 12:01 AM
Subject: Re: F295 symposium long synopsis
Chris, Where can one get hold of Dan Estabrook's video or that of
"What Remains"? thanks. Rajul
On 2-Jun-09, at 2:41 PM, Christina Z. Anderson wrote:
Dear All,
Back from the F295 symposium in Pittsburgh (http://www.f295.org/
symposium2009/ and I have to say I was very impressed. First of
all, I was unaware that F295 has about 2000 (!) members. That's
triple this list serve....Second, Tom Persinger runs a tight
ship-- aside from a technical glitch or two (when does that not
happen) the speakers spoke on schedule and all were excellent
lecturers-- not always the case at symposiums, conferences,
seminars. Being an excellent artist does not always correlate
with being an excellent speaker....but these speakers were. There
were 9 of them as you can see on the website.
Third, it is so energizing to be in a group of like-minded,
somewhat anachronistic people as we are. When you get right
down to it, there aren't many of us and so many times it is a
VERY small world, with so and so knowing so and so invariably.
I mean, how many of us out there wax poetic about pinhole or alt
process? Not many. How many of us go out to dinner and set up a
pinhole camera to take pix of the meal out? Apparently Nancy
Breslin is doing this every restaurant meal she eats for a
year. How many people think to plop a wet plate collodion teeny
plate in a Holga like Gayle Stevens does? They were adorable.
How many people think to take the Lumenprint/Jerry Burchfield
process/POP photograms and apply it to the salt print, exposing
salt prints outside for hours upon hours to get gorgeous,
velvety prints like James Hajicek and his partner Carol Panero-
Smith? They were really beautiful in person--their work as well
as themselves. And Joe Babcock with his pinhole suitcase camera
took the group portrait, very fitting.
We got to see Robb Kendricks' Cowboy project, and when I saw it
in National Geographic I had no idea the extent of his project on
the North American Cowboy--and the fact that he has a full
custom trailer that he tows behind his vehicle that has a
stainless steel darkroom in it. I think that is what I
especially enjoyed is each speaker's (and most conference-
goers') intense commitment to her/ his process of choice.
Which reminds me that in the bestseller book on Outliers it says
to become an expert at something takes something like 10,000
hr--- don't know the particulars of how that figure was derived
but I can believe it.....
We got to hear Dan Estabrook talk about his work--I've always
loved it, and had just showed the video on him to my alt
students, but his lecture was way better than his video (BTW a
DVD I really like as well is What Remains about Sally Mann--
doing her large wet plates. She went way up in my estimation
after seeing that DVD).
It was so neat to see people in person I only had read about/
seen work in books--Martha Casanave was in my gum class and I
have always loved her evocative pinholes. Finally got to meet
Jill Enfield in person as well as Jesseca Ferguson. Elizabeth
Opalenik gave a really great lecture about mordancage and her
journey with the process all these years. Jerry Spagnoli, Mark
Osterman and France Scully-Osterman...Mark who had just had the
pleasure of meeting Judy Siegel at none other than the
TruthBeauty show...like I say it is a small world. Michelle
Bates showed her great body of Holga work, and she has this
little teeny weeny rolliflex digicam that she hangs from her
neck that must be about...1x1x2"??? Martha Madigan shared her
work so extensively and from the heart, it is just so much
better to hear an artist talk about their work over the whole of
it like she did and Mark did because you get a much clearer
picture of the whole person and not just an image or two. Oh, I
could continue on and on but you get the picture.
I loved the city of Pittsburgh--very photogenic. Wish I would
have scheduled a day for photographing :(
And the food is EXCELLENT there and quite reasonably priced!
Zarra's Italian restaurant was so good I had to drag a group
back there the next night. Driest red wine there I have ever
had (Moltepiciano??? might be the name).
The Carnegie-Mellon University is also a great site for a
conference, and a mile or so from the hotel so it forced us to
exercise twice a day. Lots of great little places to eat
surrounding the hotel so a car wasn't necessary, especially
since the hotel shuttled us all over if we needed it.
Pittsburgh Filmmakers where we all did our workshops was
glorious, even with a vegan chef in a little cafe in-house there
who makes great hummus wraps and couscous. It's always scary to
enter a facility to teach gum because you just never know how
the rooms are set up, especially when you need a computer lab,
classroom space AND darkroom/dimroom with running water, but
this place had all and then even an assigned assistant each
day!! I'm not used to that kind of luxury.
Our world, and such as this list is, is such a fascinating slice
of culture/society...
Tom apparently is taking next year off but I think it is a must-
do in 2011...it'd be like an APIS of the northeast if APIS is
too far for some to travel.
If I had any criticism it would be that I forgot to take an
umbrella and had to buy one for one of the days. And I should
have brought better walking shoes.
Chris
__________________
Christina Z. Anderson
http://christinaZanderson.com/
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