[alt-photo] Re: "Alternative Printing": Terms to define

[etienne garbaux]

Loris wrote:

>Well, to me pinhole is not an alternative process. Pinhole is 
>pinhole; already something in itself. X-ray, UV, IR, toy cameras, 
>lensbaby, self-made optics, photograms/shadowgrams and pinhole (and 
>...???) are indeed alternative imaging methods, OTOH they're not 
>printing methods. "Alternative Process" to me is something about the 
>"medium / object". Those listed above belong to the category of 
>"Alternative Photography"...

It appears to me that this view is rooted in art history, where the 
description of an artwork applies to the artifact itself -- oil on 
canvas, acrylic on masonite, found objects on nylon mesh, etc. -- 
because, for the traditional visual arts, that's pretty much all 
there is.  Photography adds the imaging process, which has no analog 
in most traditional visual art [but see next sentence], raising the 
question of whether something about it should be included in the 
description.  There is analogous precedent for this, even in the 
traditional visual arts -- for example, dry point etchings are 
generally distinguished from chemical etchings, notwithstanding that 
the actual printmaking process (inking and pressing the etched plate) 
are the same.  So, I see no a priori reason that the imaging process 
shouldn't be considered in the description of the photographic 
process that led to a photographic artifact.

Consider the name of this very list -- it is the alternative 
*photographic* process mailing list, NOT the alternative 
*printmaking* process list.  To my mind, alternative imaging 
processes ARE alternative *photographic* processes, even if they 
aren't alternative *printmaking* processes.  Therefore, the question 
to my mind is, what imaging and printmaking techniques qualify as 
"alt"?  I doubt I will ever consider SG to be alt in my lifetime, but 
in 80 years, who knows?  (I do on occasion coat my own SG plates and 
paper, but even then I consider it quasi-alt rather than legitimate alt.)

Happily, there is no need for us to agree on this, as long as people 
don't post snippy, "that's off-topic -- go away" responses when 
someone brings up the sorts of topics Loris listed above -- which I 
have not seen happen.

Best regards,

etienne