Re: shaking booty at SPE

On Mon, 27 Mar 2006, Christina Z. Anderson reported advice and/or opinion
at SPE, such as...

> Don't "ghettoize" black and white into the wet darkroom but teach it
> digitally also.

For what it's worth, I recently scanned a couple of old b&w prints to
print on my ancient (obsolete) 1160 with the 3rd party $4/cartridge inks
on a mat paper recommended by Jack Fulton.

I know nothing about the "archivality," tho with the blacks predominating
I assume it's not bad, but I like the *look* much better. The image isn't
buried under gelatin, but right out there -- and IMO much richer looking.

> Silver gelatin is a nice "antique" process like all the rest--more important
> to teach how to "see" thru the viewfinder.

And what will students use for materials after they learn "wet darkroom"?

> Those who miss the darkroom experience have worked at transforming the
> digilab to a darkroom experience--low lights, music, etc.

Hoop skirts next?

> The decisive moment has now become the decisive edit.

That's new ????

> Some feared the loss of the happy accident.

Didn't they ever do Photoshop? (True, the accidents aren't usually happy,
but they're not in the wet darkroom either.)

> There was mention of large Gursky works fading before people's eyes in a
> gallery--so much for archivalness.

A great loss. I weep.

> A difference in terms of the photographic and photographs: the photographic
> has remained consistent but photographs have not--images in other words have
> remained photographic but are not photographs...

Wanna bet?

> The third point perspective of the photojournalist is being altered by the
> amateur and participatory cell phone or digital user--think London bombing
> and Abu Ghraib and all the other historical moments where some Joe Blow has
> recorded the moment while being involved. A conflation of private and public
> space.

Everywhere... last fall someone had placed a little flag with a picture of
George Bush on it in a piece of dog turd that had been rudely (and
illegally) left on the sidewalk down the block. I saw a passerby whip out
his cell phone & take a picture of it -- tho I don't know if his name was
Joe Blow -- never saw the guy before.

> What was so cool is that this digital revolution has, in fact, enhanced alt
> process with the ability to print perfect digital negatives now. Digital has
> made alt **more** accessible and user friendly. There were no panels on how
> alt has changed, how pt/pd is outmoded, how alt is being thrown out of the
> schools..The loss of the physicality of making an image in the wet darkroom
> was mourned, and frankly, that physical connection to the alt print is, to
> me, what alt is all about.
> Chris

Thanks for the report, Chris -- possibly even better than being there, tho
I'd have enjoyed seeing you and Janet and Darryl...

Judy
Received on Wed Mar 29 17:52:59 2006