ive spent an EXORBITANT AMOUNT of TIME on this PLANET being OUTSIDE of my NATIVE COUNTRY and its occurred to me almost DAILY how that EXPERIENCE has influenced my OWN PERCEPTIONS of the UNITED STATES.  every day i am reminded through TELEVISED NEWS COVERAGE, OVERHEARD CONVERSATIONS and FORMAL DISCUSSIONS in GRADUATE SCHOOL how little AMERICANS understand the OUTSIDE WORLD that they ECONOMICALLY, MILITARILY and CULTURALLY DOMINATE.  its a very OFF DYNAMIC that often feels completely ONE-SIDED and often i find MYSELF feeling ISOLATED and ALIENATED in the PROCESS.  im just far too OLD and STUBBORN to conform at this STAGE and i just take it like it comes, but i often feel the OUTSIDER pretty INTIMATELY in my OWN COUNTRY.

which brings me to the LEGENDARY PHOTOGRAPHER ROBERT FRANK and his SEMINAL WORK documenting the CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES throughout the IMMEDIATE POST-WAR PERIOD on through the CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT and beyond.  given his STATUS as a FIRST-GENERATION IMMIGRANT one cannot help but feel there is a CERTAIN LEVEL of OBJECTIVITY to his PHOTOGRAPHY, almost as if he was making CONNECTIONS and OBSERVATIONS in REAL-TIME with the REST of the COUNTRY, who was likewise mining and developing its own AMENDED IDENTITY throughout that FRAUGHT PERIOD.  FRANK, along with his FAMILY are of SWISS NATIONALITY (except his GERMAN father who was STATELESS during WWII) and JEWISH DESCENT.  FRANK the immigrated to AMERICA in 1947 initially as a FASHION PHOTOGRAPHER for HARPER'S BAZAAR. 

his CIRCUMSTANCE as an IMMIGRANT in NEW YORK CITY reminded me of what WRITER E.B. WHITE once FAMOUSLY stated about the THREE NEW YORKS, that (and i am PARAPHRASING here) there are THOSE born there that take such for GRANTED, THOSE that commute there DAILY who consume such but are never really fully a PART of it and THOSE that were born somewhere else and sought out NEW YORK specifically in search of SOMETHING and thus benefit it with their RESTLESS ENERGY.  that NATIVES bring a SENSE of STABILITY and CONTINUITY, but the IMMIGRANTS bring their UNIQUE PASSION.  that was FRANK and AMERICA is his LIFE-LONG SUBJECT most FAMOUSLY crystalized in ARGUABLY the most CRITICALLY-ACCLAIMED AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHIC BOOK of ALL-TIME, THE AMERICANS (GROVE PRESS, 1958).  in the TRADITION of WALKER EVANS, JAKOB TUGGENER and BILL BRANDT, everyday AMERICANS are presented UNADORNED and in the throes of DAILY LIFE;  STRUGGLING, PERSEVERING, COLLABORATING, WORKING and SURVIVING with a SENSE of GENTEEL DIGNITY and COMMON GRACE as only an OUTSIDER could REVEAL.  the TRANSFORMATIONAL IMPACT of that UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE cannot be OVERSTATED.  such REVELATION is a COMMON THREAD amongst AMERICAN HISTORY, going back to the FOUNDING with the MARQUIS DE LAFAYETTE, and its TRAGIC that we've lost sight of such in RECENT DECADES.  the CULTURAL POTENCY of IMMIGRANTS to see in our CULTURE and COUNTRY what NATIVE-BORN CITIZENS cannot.

most of his CAREER FRANK transitioned into AVANT-GARDE FILMMAKING.  his works impose a SENSE of CINÉMA VÉRITÉ almost out of NECESSITY given his IMPROVISATIONAL utilization of the FILM CAMERA in the MOMENT, much as with his PHOTOGRAPHY.  AESTHETICALLY his FILM CATALOGUE is more about that CAPTURED MOMENT rather then the WELL-LIT, laboriously EDITED and intensely MANUFACTURED LEVEL expected by PROFESSIONAL HOLLYWOOD STANDARDS.  his was more the PRODUCT of an ITERATIVE, WORK-MAN like ETHOS that was AMATEURISH in PROCESS and INTENT and thus somewhat more AUTHENTIC in its lack of NARRATIVE COHERENCE or CONSTRUCTION.  when considering his IMMENSE LEGACY, his FILM CATALOGUE is merely a FOOTNOTE to his PHOTOGRAPHY, of which he is on the very SHORT LIST of SEMINAL 20th century EXAMPLES.

the DON'T BLINK: ROBERT FRANK (ARTE, 2015) DOCUMENTARY is an INTIMATE RETROSPECTIVE LOOK at his FINAL YEARS and his own SENSE of his ENDURING LEGACY as an AMERICAN VISIONARY who was inarguably INSTRUMENTAL in presenting the YOUNG, UPSTART NATION to ITSELF and the WORLD in the CENTURY it DOMINATED.  in PURE FRANK FASHION, he seemed to avoid the CONVERSATION entirely and shrift off such talk of ACCOLADES for SOMEONE ELSE to determine.  even at that AGE he felt he still had VITAL, MEANINGFUL WORK to accomplish.  that he wasn't finished quite yet.

and you cant get more AMERICAN than that!  more WORK is always AROUND the CORNER, even if DEATH halts you in your TRACKS FIRST.

there is something about ART that is depicted at HUMAN SCALE that just hits DIFFERENT.  especially PHOTOGRAPHY.  the late ELSA DORFMAN was a PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER who got her start as a SECRETARY for GROVE PRESS in the early 1960s and thus had a front-row seat to after-hours happenings with the COUNTERCULTURE LITERATI, everyone from ALLEN GINSBERG, BOB DYLAN, LAWRENCE FERLINGHETTI, DENISE LEVERTOV, GREGORY CORSO, ANAIS NIN, JONATHAN RICHMAN (THE MODERN LOVERS), ROBERT CREELEY, STEVEN TYLER (AEROSMITH) and PETER ORLOVSKY among OTHERS.  all of whom she DISCRETELY photographed at a MOMENT of EASE. eventually DORFMAN became WELL-KNOWN for the UNUSUAL PORTRAITURE she conducted for DECADES from her CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS STUDIO, which included the LARGE-SCALE POLAROID SPECIALTY FORMAT of 20 x 24.

in a SENSE CINEMA is the PEFECT VEHICLE for evaluating LARGE-SCALE PHOTOGRAPHY, itself being OVERSIZED in and of ITSELF.  as showcased in ERROL MORRIS' PROFOUND DOCUMENTARY THE B-SIDE: ELSA DORFMAN'S PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY (FOURTH FLOOR, 2017), there is a undeniably POTENT INTIMACY that comes with that LEVEL of DETAIL presented at that SUBSTANTIVE a SIZE.  which is absolutely INTRIGUING because the COMMERCIAL INTENT of the MASS-PRODUCED POLAROID was to make PHOTOGRAPHY unambiguously ACCESSIBLE to EVERYONE, with the ENTIRE SHOOTING and DEVELOPMENT PROCESS INSTANTANEOUSLY taking only a FEW MINUTES at most.  the fact that such maintains its SENSE of IMMEDIACY and FAMILIARITY of a FLEETING MOMENT at such a impractically MASSIVE SCALE is HEART-WARMING to consider.  maybe that is the SPECIAL MAGIC of PHOTOGRAPHY ITSELF or perhaps even the UNEXPECTED PROFUNDITY of DORFMAN's GIFT.

throughout the FILM DORFMAN often discusses her own ARTISTIC LIMITATIONS and the CUMBERSOME NATURE of the CAMERA ITSELF, of which only six were ever built and are a particularly STUBBORN ARTIFACT of a PREVIOUS AGE in which the MARRIAGE of MECHANICS, CHEMISTRY and SPECTROMETRY are seen dancing in an UNEASY UNION. she speaks about her STRAIGHTFORWARD PROCESS regarding her INTERACTION with her SUBJECT, being interested in LITERALLY only SURFACES and that PHILOSOPHICALLY her WORK can only function with what is SOLELY provided to her by the SUBJECT.  she is not preoccupied in UNVEILING SOULS or PERSONALITIES, but rather the PHYSICALITY of our TENTATIVE CORPOREAL STATE.  it is all a PART of a truly UNRULY and UNTENABLE PROCESS,  while looking at a PRINT of an ALLEN GINSBERG LARGE-SCALE PORTRAIT DORFMAN makes the POIGNANT OBSERVATION that such a SYSTEM will never be seen again, so IMPRACTICAL the PROCESS and ANTIQUATED the TECHNOLOGY.  in spite of all of these SELF-IMPOSED RESERVATIONS about her own WORK and the SEVERE OBSTINATE NATURE of the CAMERA and FILM ITSELF, what comes through is a DISTINCT FOCUS on the UNADULTERATED HUMAN FORM and the INNATE FRAGILITY of it. 

maybe it is the SCALE and/or maybe it is the UNWAVERING DEGREE of DETAIL, like a CHUCK CLOSE CLOSE-UP, but what endures when viewed in SERIES with the SAME SUBJECT is that the PRESENT MOMENT and our PHYSICAL EXPERIENCE of it is PAINFULLY TRANSITORY at best, with all THINGS continually SHIFTING and EVOLVING/DETERIORATING.

ARGUABLY DORFMAN's most REVEALING SUBJECT is HERSELF, having tested out the CAMERA with SELF-PORTRAITS CONTINUALLY through the YEARS.  you see in UNSPARING DETAIL given the SCALE and CLARITY of the PHOTOGRAPHS the RAVAGES that TIME puts on her BODY, the SAGGING OF HER SKIN, the DOWNWARD DROOP OF HER JAWLINE, the WINNOWING OF HER HAIR and the INEVITABLE BENDING DOWNWARD OF HER POSTURE.  it is both HORRIFIC and SUBLIME.  never mind the FACT that she, as well as her SUBJECTS are ALWAYS smiling and looking their CAMER-READY BEST - a REPEATED CRITICISM of her WORK by ART GALLERIES, DEALERS and AGENTS alike.  it is beside the point, i see her PHOTOGRAPHS and i see our FRAGILE MORTALITY.  plus her WORK is now a PART of the COLLECTIONS at THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY (WASHINGTON DC), THE HARVARD ART MUSEUMS (CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS), THE SAN FRANCISCO MUSUEM OF MODERN ART and THE PORTLAND MUSEUM OF ART (MAINE).

during her SHOOTS she would take TWO PHOTOGRAPHS per SESSION.  one was chosen by the CLIENT and the other, what she deemed the B-SIDE, was kept by her.  the ARCHIVE she amassed over DECADES is ESSENTIALLY a STOCKPILE of B-SIDES.  or to put it more bluntly: REJECTED PHOTOGRAPHS.  in the FILM DORFMAN showcases many of these B-SIDES with the VERSIONS bought by her CLIENTS and usually the more COMPELLING of the PAIR are the B-SIDES because SOMEONE is UNINTENTIONALLY BREAKING the STRUCTURE by BLINKING and SNEEZING, allowing COMPETING REALITIES to set in and be documented for POSTERITY. 

the UNSTATED IMPLICATION is that DOCUMENTARIES almost function in this SAME MANNER, that there is an OPPORTUNITY COST to showcasing or imposing one NARRATIVE over another, relaying IMAGES in one order over another, shooting from an ANGLE, the IMPLEMENTATION of a COLOR CODING SCHEME and all the other COUNTLESS MYRIAD of UNCONSCIOUS DECISION-MAKING that UNDOUBTEDLY impacts the FINAL PRODUCT.  MORRIS, much like DORFMAN, ceases CREATIVE CONTROL over the PROCESS at some POINT and just reveals their own HUMANITY on the PROJECT despite THEMSELVES.  MORRIS may OUTRIGHT DISREGARD her ARTISTIC BONAFIDES and ABILITIES, but the WORK does such in spite of HERSELF.  it just emanates from her and like those unnervingly REVEALING PORTRAITS of GINSBURG she cries over, i know doubt see this LOVINGLY-CONSTRUCTED FILM as a SIMILAR POINT of DOCUMENTED REMEMBRANCE and SHARED MEMORY for her HUSBAND HARVEY and SON ISAAC in the wake of her PASSING in 2020.

THE B-SIDE: ELSA DORFMAN'S PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY is a uniquely MOVING and POIGNANT FILM about the NATURE and POWER of ART and the fact that  DORFMAN's CAREER was a B-SIDE to no one.  highly recommended.

ive had the PRIVILEGED opportunity most of my life to be in circumstances that allowed me to experience UNIQUE CULTURES and witness RITUALS, PERSPECTIVES, HISTORIES, UNDERSTANDINGS and CUISINES ALIEN to my own.   i consider it one of the great blessings of my life and for much of it i had a camera.

when i was an INTERNATIONAL teacher often tasked with providing an elective, PHOTOGRAPHY was often at the top of my list followed by journalism.  in both instances i really enjoyed introducing my secondary STUDENTS to NOTABLE PHOTOGRAPHERS from around the WORLD and the VISIONS they introduced.

lately ive been revisiting the work of RENOWNED MEXICAN PHOTOGRAPHERS GRACIELA ITURBIDE and her often POETIC yet unblinkingly RAW DEPICTIONS of her NATIVE HOMELAND and its DIVERSE INHABITANTS.  there is a DISTINCT SENSITIVITY to her ARTISTIC AESTHETIC which often showcases the hardships of the daily lives of the DISPOSSESSED and the UNDERSERVED with a sense of COMPASSION and EMPATHY.  for these PEOPLE ILLNESS, HUNGER, POVERTY, FATIGUE and DEATH are COMMON companions and their PORTRAITS reveal such INTIMACY in a DIRECT MANNER.  when i look at ITURBIDE's PHOTOGRAPHS, especially those of REGULAR PEOPLE in UNASSUMING locales where they live, i recognize and access memories of PAST PEOPLE i met along the way who likewise lead DIFFICULT lives in seemingly insurmountably IMPOSSIBLE circumstances.  whether that be support STAFF at my former school in RURAL EASTERN VENEZUELA as the country was being decimated by hyperinflation or my FORMER LANDLORD in the COLD HINTERLANDS of NORTHERN ALBANIA, a POLICEMAN with an ADMIRABLE code of ethics in a CORRUPT region with anything but. 

in ITURBIDE's PHOTOGRAPHS i see a certain HUMBLE DIGNITY that can only arise from those whose FORGOTTEN, UNDERVALUED existences are lived and experienced at the edge of GLOBAL SOCIETY and at the BOTTOM END OF MATERIAL SUPPLY CHAINS.  i just find myself becoming transfixed and fascinated anew with who these PEOPLE are and how they go about their daily lives with opportunities and HARDSHIPS so DIFFERENT than my own.  to me that portal through the VEHICLE of PHOTOGRAPHY is the very essence of the MAGIC of that MEDIUM. 

and that was what i tried to instill in my FORMER STUDENTS.  an APPRECIATION for PERSPECTIVE outside of my own and that of my CULTURE.  its a process and a road i have been traveling down ever since.

so back in 2016 when i was teaching abroad in JAPAN i was lucky enough to be nearby the YOKOHAMA MUSEUM OF ART who was putting on an exhibition curated by the RENOWNED ARTIST TAKASHI MURAKAMI that included wildly ECLECTIC PIECES from the likes of ANSELM KIEFER, KIM GORDON, YOSHITOMO NARA, HENRY DARGER, BARY MCGEE, KAWS, SEONNA HONG and AI HABARA to TERRY RICHARDSON, NAOYA HATAKEYAMA, JAMES JEAN, CLAUS OLDENBURG, RICHARD HAMILTON, ROBERT RAUSCEHNBERG, ANDY WARHOL, ROY LICHTENSTEIN, JAMES ROSENQUIST, BARBARA KRUGER and DR. LAKRA.  it was easily one of the CULTURAL HIGHLIGHTS of my time living and working in YOKOHAMA.

out of all that SURREAL, vividly colored, ANIME and POP CULTURE-inspired fair from that exhibit (titled TAKASH MURAKAMI's SUPERFLAT COLLECTION: FROM SHOHAKU AND ROSANJIN TO ANSELM KIEFER), the work that hit the hardest were these INTIMATE and UNSETTLING black-and-white photographs by a JAPANESE PHOTOGRAPHER i was hitherto UNFAMILIAR with named NOBUYOSHI ARAKI, or ARAKI.  the PHOTOS were from an extended three-part series devoted to his wife AOKI YOKO that showcased her at different points in their relationship, from their 1) their honeymoon in 1968 to 2) her demise and ultimately her passing from OVARIAN CANCER in 1990 and 3) the empty apartment she left thereafter.  it is INTRIGUING, partly since today ARAKI is NOTORIOUS and internationally celebrated for his TRANSGRESSIVE portfolio of PHOTOGRAPHS related to EROTICISM and KINBAKU, or ROPE BONDAGE. 

​JAPAN is a traditionally an extremely socially CONSERVATIVE place, so this subject matter inherently is regarded as TABOO and incredibly SUBVERSIVE in-country.  that his early PHOTOS are these lovingly depicted CHERISHED moments with the love of his life as their relationship was blossoming is as HEART-WARMING as it is emotionally DEVASTATING.  even when i didnt know the personal story behind the PHOTOGRAPHS, there seemed to be a MELANCHOLIC aspect to them.  as if that documenting of such an INTIMATE moment, now distanced by time, is highly EMOTIVE and BITTERSWEET in its PURITY.

i remember being immediately taken by these PHOTOGRAPHS in a similar way to that of other PROVOCATIVE PHOTOGRAPHERS such as DIANE ARBUS and ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE.  the SHOCK VALUE in my mind is derived from the unyielding INTIMACY of the subject with that of the PHOTOGRAPHER.  ARAKI's WORK, especially those three series centered around his much BELOVED deceased life partner are the epitome of such and are highly AFFECTING and POWERFUL. 

RIP AOKI YOKO

SHOT! THE PSYCHO-SPIRITUAL MANTRA OF ROCK (MAGNOLIA, 2016) is an absolutely FASCINATING documentary about the TRANSCENDENT and often MERCURIAL mystery that is the state of being an ARTIST.  the late ENGLISH PHOTOGRAPHER MICK ROCK of course is a cultural legend, mostly due to the GROUNDBREAKING visuals he produced during the 1970s GLAM ROCK scene in the LONDON as well as the work he created for PROMINENT MUSICIANS in SYD BARRETT, DAVID BOWIE, IGGY POP and LOU REED.  in particular BOWIE and REED were close confidants and collaborators during that period.  THE STOOGES' RAW POWER (COLUMBIA, 1973), LOU REED's TRANSFORMER (RCA, 1972), DAVID BOWIE's PIN UPS (RCA, 1973), QUEEN's QUEEN II (ELEKTRA, 1974), RAMONE's END OF THE CENTURY (SIRE, 1980) and SYD BARRETT's THE MADCAP LAUGHS (HARVEST, 1970) are some of the ALBUM OVERS ROCK is most famously associated with, but he went on to have a lasting IN-DEMAND career right up until his passing in 2021 that saw him create ICONIC PORTRAITS of everyone from DEBBIE HARRY, JOHN LYDON, MADONNA, ROXY MUSIC, JOAN JETT, R.E.M., OZZY OSBOURNE, TALKING HEADS and BOB MARLEY to MILEY CYRUS, JANE'S ADDICTION, SNOOP DOGG, THE MISFITS, JOSH HOMME, MOTLEY CRUE, KAREN O, DAFT PUNK and LADY GAGA.  ROCK was a SINGULAR VISIONARY whose vast CATALOGUE speaks for itself.

but that is not what makes this film so COMPELLING.

ROCK was a CAMBRIDGE-trained STUDENT of modern and medieval languages who was absolutely obsessed with SYMBOLIST POETS such as ARTHUR RIMBAUD, CHARLES BAUDELAIRE and LORD BYRON.  in DAVID BOWIE, IGGY POP and especially LOU REED he was drawn to their COMBUSTIBLE energy that was both intellectually STIMULATING, yet completely DEBAUCHED.  they were this generation's truth-sayers and poets in the flesh and ROCK's PHOTOGRAPHY would essentially come to serve as the PROPAGANDA arm of that movement.  what i found INTERESTING about ROCK's process were the lengths he went through, namely yoga and drugs, to get outside of his CEREBRAL mind and get INSTINCTUAL. the CELEBRATED mid 20th-century FRENCH photographer HENRI-CARTIER BRESSON wrote and spoke effectively about capturing what he called 'THE DECISIVE MOMENT,' when the ARTIST adroitly manipulates the MEDIUM to the extent that they bend it to their will unconsciously.  ROCK talks in the film about how his subject by definition is the most INTRIGUING thing in the world, irrespective of the ACTUAL REALITY differing.  he is almost channeling the SUBJECT and taking what is being given, and guiding them in the process without being CONSCIOUS of such, as evidenced by the PHOTO SESSIONS filmed for this documentary.  the fact that a man so WELL-READ and EDUCATED felt compelled to pursue a PROFESSION that is about being immediately RESPONSIVE and IN-THE-MOMENT sans intellectual forethought is an absolutely CAPTIVATING dichotomy.

the film delves into his inability to turn off the forward momentum and the chasing of said muse through late night cocaine benders, orgies and crazy nights that turned into days or even a week of SLEEPLESS bodily abuse.  it all caught up when he had several heart attacks in his early 40s which saw him re-evaluate his life choices and pursue a more MODERATE path forward, which found him married and with a family in STATEN ISLAND of all places.  much like DAVID JOHANSEN, ROCK was a fixture on the north shore but was given his space and privacy.  i know he sold signed copies of his ICONIC PHOTOGRAPHS of DEBBIE HARRY, DAVID BOWIE, FREDDIE MERCURY, IGGY POP and LOU REED and i believe even donated a few for a fundraiser for the non-profit internet radio station i am involved with in STAPLETON.   i never met him but i know people from the station that did.  he was just another guy.  a dude with a monster talent and one of the most coveted and INTIMATE back CATALOGUES of CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT PHOTOGRAPHS ever, spanning everything from PROGRESSIVE ROCK, GLAM ROCK, PUNK ROCK, NEW WAVE, GLAM METAL, POP and so on to the present.

it should also be noted that the CINEMATOGRAPHY is also absolutely STELLAR throughout.  a fitting first-hand testament to the late great creator of IMAGES.  SHOT! THE PSYCHO-SPIRITUAL MANTRA OF ROCK is most definitely worth checking out.

"sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. he fits right in there. and that's the dude."  - THE BIG LEBOWSKI (POLYGRAM, 1999)

it is difficult to watch the recent RICKY POWELL: THE INDIVIDUALIST (TIME STUDIOS, 2020) about the much BELOVED late PHOTOGRAPHER RICKY POWELL and not come off astonished at the CASUAL CHARISMA and INTUITIVE EFFORTLESSNESS with which he interacted with his SUBJECTS and life in general.  his PHOTOGRAPHS, especially those that showcased the early HIP HOP scene of the 1980s (RUN-DMC, LL COOL J, BEASTIE BOYS, PUBLIC ENEMY) as well as the concurrent modern art scene of the period (JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT, KEITH HARING, FUTURA, ANDY WARHOL), showcased a level of fly-on-the-wall, BEHIND-THE-SCENES INTIMACY that made them have a sense of URGENCY and feel forever IN-THE-MOMENT.  the moment is FLEETING, but POWELL's POWER as a PHOTOGRAPHER was his ability to project through his work a SEAMLESS level of integration between ARTIST and SUBJECT that can only come with the later feeling truly SECURE and COMFORTABLE in the former's presence.  his gift in other words, was his (like THE DUDE) ability to be SIMPATICO with his surroundings.

one of the UNIQUE ironies is that although as a PHOTOGRAPHER who primarily shot CELEBRITIES, he was constantly not on his own turf, being on tour buses, backstage rooms, restaurants, art galleries, museums, but through his PHOTOGRAPHS these CELEBRITIES were really in his world.  somebody in the film makes the comment that the purpose of these MUSICIANS and ARTISTS very existence was for him to document them, so respected was his TALENT and EYE.

i remember a relative of mine that has long worked in the FILM INDUSTRY once told me about an upcoming MUSICIAN that befriended a famous ACTOR in the 1990s.  this ACTOR had access to a private jet and took his new friend on a world tour of sorts as part of his entourage which apparently lasted a few years.  the musician effectively stopped writing new material and eventually returned back to a reality in which he had rent due and bills to pay.  so he asked the actor for money and that was it.  he was cut off.  the whole experience set him back and whatever momentum his career trajectory he was on a few years prior was irreparably dashed because of his temporary dalliance with the jet set crowd and that lifestyle.  watching RICKY POWELL: THE INDIVIDUALIST made me think of that scenario immediately.  yes, POWELL was TIGHT with the BEASTIE BOYS and was undoubtedly part of their crew for almost a decade, you know, UNTIL HE WASNT.  instead of transitioning from that experience into the next phase of his career, he instead became a HERMIT in his downtown studio apartment and effectively separated himself from society for a few decades.  the film gets into his HORRIBLE upbringing by a single mother who cherished her animals more than her son, but it doesnt take a psychologist to realize that these ARTISTIC and MUSICAL COMMUNITIES POWELL so effortlessly surfed between were SURROGATE FAMILIES of sorts.  and when those RELATIONSHIPS came to a natural end, he was left to make sense of the pieces.

i found this documentary to be very MELANCHOLIC with this highly CHARMING yet unbearably VULNERABLE figure of POWELL.  the fact that he dies alone from cardiac arrest shortly after filming is almost too TRAGIC to take in.   he had such a UNIQUE GIFT and such a preternatural EMPATHETIC ability to connect with STRANGERS, FAMOUS or otherwise.  its too much to bear that he seemed to be LONELY sans a family his whole life.  he almost came resigned to the fact that the search wasnt worth it.  again, just DEVASTATING.

in the past two years i have been lucky enough to secure copies of both of his much SOUGHT-AFTER PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTIONS OH SNAP! (ST. MARTIN'S GRIFFIN, 1998) and THE RICKFORD FILES (ST. MARTIN'S GRIFFIN, 1999), so i was very much motivated to seek out this documentary once i learned of its existence.  i see the film as ESSENTIAL and definitely recommend it to anyone interested in the beginnings of HIP HOP or the UNDERGROUND graffiti art scene of 1980s NEW YORK CITY. 

NOTABLE interview participants include PROMINENT rappers such as LL COOL J, DARRYL "DMC" MCDANIELS (RUN-DMC), CHUCK D (PUBLIC ENEMY), FAB 5 FREDDY and MIKE D (BEASTIE BOYS), producers MARIO "C" CALDATO and MARK RONSON, publishers DAVID HERSHKOVITZ (PAPER MAGAZINE) and JODI PECKMAN (ROLLING STONE) as well as NEW YORK actors like NATASHA LYONNE, LAURENCE FISHBURNE, DEBI MAZAR and VIN DIESEL, and artists like FUTURA, ZEPHYR, KAVES, MAX PERLICH, CHERYL DUNN, CEY ADAMS, SUE KWON and PATRICK MCMULLAN.

with the advent of the INTERNET, AUTOMATION, SOCIAL MEDIA and the future of promise of ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE right around the corner, i can honestly attest that in my short lifetime there has been much SOCIAL DISRUPTION and POLITICAL UPHEAVAL that has come at the expense of an UNPRECEDENTED rate of TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION.  in essence the world i grew up in no longer exists.

in essence the late 19th century in the UNITED STATES represents a similar pivot away from old methods of traveling and communicating with the completion of the TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD and the advent of massive STEAMSHIPS, TELEPHONES, INCANDESCENT LIGH BULB and the PHOTOGRAPH.  growing up in ENGLAND in a world with horse-drawn carriages and gas street lamps to that of ELECTRIC GRID-ENABLED CABLE CARS and STREET LIGHTS is quite REMARKABLE and represents a psychic jolt as well as TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE.  it means that the manner in which people lived and thought of themselves shifted arguably for the first time in generations.

what makes the EXPOSING MUYBRIDGE (INSIDE OUT MEDIA, 2021) documentary about the FAMOUS PHOTOGRAPHER is how his life and career provides a familiar example of the apparent disconnect between the OPTIMISTIC PROMISE of TECHNOLOGY and its DESTRUCTIVE CAPACITY to alienate us from ourselves.  EADWEARD MUYBRIDGE only became a PHOTOGRAPHER after years spent occupying various modest occupations in the new AMERICAN WEST after departing ENGLAND at first opportunity.  his early adoption of the cumbersome TECHNOLOGY found him shooting lots of shots of nature throughout the MOUNTAIN WEST and PACIFIC NORTHWEST as well as the recently purchased ALASKAN TERRITORY and many of his locations were later REPHOTOGRAPHED by the likes of EDWARD WESTON and ANSEL ADAMS more than a half century later.  one of his quirks was having figures in the foreground, sometimes to showcase scale, and often such showcased himself in precarious positions on cliffs with sheer drops and the like.  but often these PHOTOGRAPHS were MANIPULATED with preferred (and reused) cloud formations and drawn distant mountain ranges.  seeing was not believing, even at this early FORMATIVE state in the evolution of PHOTOGRAPHY.

MUYBRIDGE himself had an IDIOSYNCRATIC and highly ERRATIC personality.  in his forties he married a young woman in her twenties whom he subsequently ABANDONED at home while he went on PHOTOGRAPHY trips at the behest of clients (including war propaganda photos for the government and family portraits for captains of industry like railroad magnate LELAND STANFORD).  after learning of an insinuation that he was CUCKOLDED in his absence, MUYBRIDGE sought out his wife's reported amour and shot him dead point blank.  controversially he was found not guilty.  post-trial he went to CENTRAL AMERICA and took ETHNOGRAPHIC and NATURE PHOTOGRAPHS around the region.  on his arrival back in CALIFORNIA he worked with STANFORD on a problem of providing UNDENIABLE PHOTOGRAPHIC proof that a horse had all of its hooves in the air at the same time.  this proved DIFFICULT given the REDIMENTARY CAMERA TECHNOLOGY the time and the non-existence of things like shutters that allow for very short exposure periods and chemical concoctions that allowed for such.  MUYBRIDGE was able to make it work and prove that such existed with an array of PHOTOGRAPHS taken in succession by separate CAMERAS with quick shutters that showed the change in position of the horse over time.  this was REVOLUTIONARY and the basis for MUYBRIDGE's subsequent fame.  but STANFORD took credit and largely DISCREDITED him as a mere TECHNICIAN in a subsequent publication, effectively ruining MUYBRIDGE's reputation, who had became something an early celebrity at the time. 

his work was picked up a few years later by the UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, in spite of his reputation as a MURDERER and an ERRATIC, who allowed him to conduct his "motion studies" at the behest of a committee of ZOOLOGISTS, PHYSICISTS, ANATOMISTS, and ARTISTS that hoped to gain insight into the invisible world of kinetic mechanics.  the film goes to great lengths to showcase how these "SCIENTIFIC" studies were marred by INGRAINED CULTURAL BIASES of the period along the lines of RACE, CLASS and GENDER.  such was the case that the majority of these scholars were seeking to secure data to prove their racist preconceived notion that WHITE MEN were SUPERIOR to their FEMALE and NON-WHITE counterparts.  men are PHOTOGRAPHED performing feats of STRENGTH and ATHLETIC prowess while WOMEN are shown being GRACEFUL or reenacting DOMESTIC pursuits (like sweeping the floor).  there are also series utilizing local prostitutes in baldly erotic movements and scenarios.  even in this PRE-CINEMA ERA, interestingly the basic BIASES of FILM CULTURE ("stories and sex") were firmly established and entrenched.  the MALE GAZE indeed.

MUYBRIDGE died in obscurity, a cultural anachronism during the age of early CINEMA dominated by subsequent ARTISTIC and TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION by likes of the LUMIERE BROTHERS and GEORGES MELIES.  his MOTION STUDIES, in spite of their embedded PREJUDICES, have proven to be quite INFLUENTIAL to subsequent generations of SCIENTISTS and ARTISTS.  everyone from FRANCIS BACON, WILLIAM WEGMAN, DAVID HOCKNEY, SOL LEWITT and even RICKY & MORTY and U2 have explicitly referenced his material.

i found this film to be endlessly FASCINATING given its examination of the DISRUPTIVE POTENTIAL of new TECHNOLOGY and how such leaves the public open to being manipulated en masse.  MUYBRIDGE was thoroughly HUMAN with HUBRIS, EGO and IMPERFECTIONS to spare and his adoption and manipulations from a new INVENTION only further the evidence of such.  despite such it is hard to argue against the idea the he ELEVATED MANKIND, FLAWS and all, and maybe that is the takeaway from his example.  while making us SUSCEPTIBLE to new forms of VISUAL MANIPULATION, his gift to us was making us a little more aware of the HIDDEN realm of MINUTE, RUDIMENTARY PHYSICAL MECHANICS that we all take for granted in a THREE-DIMENSIONAL SPACE and govern and influence our experience of such.  in this manner he was an REVOLUTIONARY figure.

EXPOSING MUYBRIDGE is a deeply INTRIGUING film that is most definitely worth checking out.  ESSENTIAL even.

i took this PHOTOGRAPHY CLASS my senior year.  it was at a public school in a SACRAMENTO suburb that my uncle taught at and i was there in the wake of 9/11 as my family decided it was better for me not to be with them in KUWAIT during that tense GEOPOLITICAL MOMENT.  i remember being beside myself with boredom in this class and feeling ISOLATED.  there was this assignment i had to complete which entailed taking someone's portrait.  now at the time i didnt know anybody so i turned that relative ANONYMITY to my advantage.  right before the shutter opened id gently toss a candy bar or tennis ball i stole from physical ed at my subject.  what i got were these looks of genuine SURPRISE and/or FEAR in my photographs.  funny enough i won an award for them at the end of the year.

THE INCOMPARABLE ROSE HARTMAN (GRAVITAS VENTURES, 2016) follows the NOTORIOUS celebrity photographer ROSE HARTMAN, known for her ability to take exquisitely COMPOSED and EMOTIVE photographs under less-than-stellar lighting conditions at OPENINGS, GALAS and PRIVATE PARTIES, some she was invited to and others not so much.  in some ways her objective was not dissimilar than my own, capturing that PERFECT MOMENT when the subject has UNVEILED themselves and made apparent, however briefly, their TRUE SELVES and not some PREPARED MASK or PRACTICED PUBLIC PERSONA.  the details of the NYC NIGHTCLUB, GLITERATI and HIGH SOCIETY events is not something i find terribly interesting or COMPELLING, but the idea of subterfuge and pressing forth into EXCLUSIVE SPACES where one was not invited to capture a FLEETING MOMENT perfectly seems absolutely THRILLING.  it should be noted that HARTMAN is not a member of the PAPARAZZI in that she is not looking to embarrass, diminish or expose her subject for short term gain in a low-brow tabloid.  she is much more interested in documenting the nighttime FANTASY WORLD that she has come to term the "CHIFFON JUNGLE" of which she is involved in but a exactly a part of.  its quite an INTERESTING dynamic at play.

the other COMPELLING dynamic on fully display throughout the documentary is her unrelentingly DOMINATING personality.  HARTMAN comes off as a force of nature as she browbeats the director as well as revelers at her own showing, making sure full well that she and her work at the forefront of everyone's attention.  its a personality quirk that is easy to mock and betrays some deep need for CONFIRMATION, as if controlling people is a substitute for AFFECTION.  there is something DISTURBING and even TRAGIC about that dynamic, as if HEISENBERG's UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE is put into practice in the SOCIAL SPHERE, i.e. she can affect people's behavior but at the core is still on the periphery never really connecting in any sort of INTIMATE sense.

ive looked through her work and it is beyond INCREDIBLE, almost HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON-esque in capturing that "DECISIVE MOMENT."  its just at what price?  it all feels like a distraction from some deep UNSPOKEN personal TRAUMA.

in the feature documentary HOCKNEY (BLAKEWAY, 2014) about the revered 20th century BRITISH painter DAVID HOCKNEY there is a quote attribute to him that paraphrased essentially argues that a transformation in viewing leads to a transformation in feeling.  this conceit is the central thread that connects a life of creative work that really runs the stylistic gamut from ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM through POP ART.  at heart HOCKNEY's work is concerned with perceived reality and is figure-based, but the aesthetic expressions of such showcase a talent concerned with SELF-ANALYSIS and SELF-EXPLORATION throughout his life: especially regarding his own relationship to his SEXUALITY.  as his self-discovery through ART blossoms, so does his feelings towards such and the community that supports him.

being the child of RADIO from the SLEEPY northern industrial YORKSHIRE town of BRADFORD, HOCKNEY was well aware of the exploits of ESCAPISM that his IMAGINATION could provide, especially after discovering the local CINEMA as a child.  movies provided both an escape and a spark that transported him far away from his DREARY routine in a crowded apartment that he shared with his parents and four siblings.  its hard not to read that TRANSFORMATIONAL dream-like element into his paintings, almost SURREAL and GIORGIO DE CHIRICO-sque, that was no doubt so aided by both CINEMA and TELEVISION.  the later of which he first witnessed as a teenager.  even the notion of AMERICA and specifically HOLLYWOOD as a locust for personal expression and self-made REINVENTION seems rooted in this childhood attachment to MOTION PICTURES.  my feeling is that its truly difficult to properly understand the REVOLUTION that was CINEMA if you were not a child of the RADIO beforehand.  it was an EXPANSIVE and MIND-ALTERING INVENTION probably on par with the INTERNET a few generations later.

whereas his POP ART contemporaries in ANDY WARHOL and ROY LICHENSTEIN were more concerned with the MARCEL DUCHAMP-ian conceit of locating the AUTHENTICITY found in REPETITION and COMMERCIAL ADVERTISING and INDUSTRIAL PAINTING TECHNIQUES, HOCKNEY seemingly was more INTROSPECTIVE in both his focus and his subject matter.  he usually painted associates, family and friends utilizing a CAMERA as the basis for his ART.  interestingly HOCKNEY saw the emotional limitations of PHOTOGRAPHY as the starting point for his CREATIVE WORK, as he was able to warp elements such as color, proportion, light, composition and especially PERSPECTIVE to his will.  though based in TRADITIONAL representational depictions of reality, over time his work confronted the VANISHING-POINT techniques from antiquity and sought out a wider PERSPECTIVE that took in multiple angles.  his later work sought to seek the EMOTIONAL TRUTH found in a myriad of PERSPECTIVES on a single subject.  almost twisting the idea of REPETITION on its head towards something altogether INSULAR and undoubtedly INNOVATIVE. 

in many ways, being a HOMOSEXUAL in BOHEMIAN circles during his career was likewise a bold act of self-determination as such was completely TABOO in polite society.  maybe i am reading in too much, but both his ARTISTIC and SEXUAL pursuits were related activities.  i can only imagine the tragedy of the 1980s where the rise of AIDS effectively rendered two-thirds of his COMMUNITY gone seemingly overnight, especially in NEW YORK. that deep loss of vitality.  that loss of potential.  the seeming indifference of a CONSERVATIVE AMERICAN body politic that had yet to come to terms with its own constituent parts.  it is still SHOCKING, even in retrospect.

many of HOCKNEY's friends, contemporaries, assistants and business partners participated in this film such as ED RUSCHA, JACK LARSON, DON BACHARDY, JOHN KASMIN, RAYMOND FOYE, TCHAIK CHASSEY, MELISSA NORTH, GEORGE LAWSON, WAYNE SLEEP, PHILIP STEADMAN, JOSEPH CLARK, KENNETH TYLER, CHARLIE SCHEIPS and DAVID OXTOBY.  they likewise provide a multi-perspective on the subject himself, who is interviewed throughout.  HOCKNEY was an absolutely REVELATORY and extremely WELL-CONSTRUCTED film that i highly recommend to anyone interested in MODERN ART or QUEER STUDIES.  required viewing in my opinion.

i found the recent SEE KNOW EVIL (MADE TO MEASURE, 2018) documentary about the late ITALIAN fashion photographer DAVIDE SORRENTI to be quite touching.  the film is obviously meant to be a RECLAMATION of his public image in the wake of the cultural backlash to the 1990s media phenomenon known as 'HEROIN CHIC' that his work was retroactively (and incorrectly) attributed.

SORRENTI had quite the back story.  he suffered from a hereditary BLOOD DISORDER known as THALASSEMIA, which attacks the blood's production of hemoglobin and thus decreasing its ability to distribute oxygen throughout the body.    this condition is life-threatening and does particular DAMAGE to several vital organs.  SORRENTI spent his entire young life in PAIN, visiting hospitals for regular blood transfusions and sleeping hooked up to machines that added much needed oxygen to his system.  THALASSEMIA is the type of condition that the patient diagnosed with it, is more than aware they are likely not going to live much pass the teens, if at all.

so in essence the life he led was one that was very much in the moment with few guardrails or time to waste being shy or indecisive.  through his designer mother FRANCESCA and his model/photographer brother MARIO he was afforded access to the fashion industry of NEW YORK and carved out a niche as a street and fashion photographer in the INTIMATE and UNADORNED vein of LARRY CLARK or NAN GOLDIN.  his work showcased models in CONTORTED poses with DOUR, MELANCHOLIC expressions, often draped in VIBRANT colors that were just slightly out of focus.  the overall effect were AFFECTING photographs that projected a sense of internal PATHOS and portents of deep SUFFERING.  it is hard not to read these VISCERAL images and see the connection between his own experience of the world and that of this ominous but SEDUCTIVE imagined reality.  its almost like appreciating a CARAVAGGIO painting with the knowledge that for the artist those pictures of suffering martyrs and saints are projections of his own DOOMED sense of moral damnation.

the idea that his mother's well-intentioned efforts within the larger fashion community to address HEROIN usage in the wake of her son's passing led ironically to a mistaken national dialogue about glamorizing HEROIN in commercial advertising is TRAGIC.  that national conversation in the media WHITEWASHED his talent, his work and his creativity.  SORRENTI was only active over a three year period from 1994 through 1997 which also coincided with the ALTERNATIVE ROCK explosion coming from the northwest and a titanic shift away from marketing materials showcasing the female form as ample and athletic.  the FASHION INDUSTRY through the rise models like KATE MOSS, JAIME KING and MILLA JOVOVICH in response displayed a more streetwise aesthetic that had more attitude and personality than what was showcased in the 1980s.  in many ways we are still living in the marketing world of the 1990s in terms of visual aesthetics and SORRENTI was a part of that movement.  its just UNFAIR that outside political agendas smeared his work.

SEE KNOW EVIL is a compelling documentary irrespective of one's interest in PHOTOGRAPHY or FASHION.  its more about the ATTITUDE and INTENTION with which you live your life each and every day.  definitely worth checking out.

years ago when i was an secondary english teacher as a matter of necessity (i was tasked with creating an elective) i started teaching PHOTOGRAPHY.  the class very much dovetailed with the online school newspaper i also helped initiate.  there was some instruction regarding composition and light but the thing i always attempted to instill was the idea of capturing a MOMENT.  french photographer HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON even had a term for it, THE DECISIVE MOMENT.

in the recent documentary SHOW ME THE PICTURE: THE STORY OF JIM MARSHALL (SAMPSONIC MEDIA, 2019) you are presented with an all too human figure in legendary PHOTOGRAPHER JIM MARSHALL who despite his serious shortcomings created an almost MYTHICAL body of work in how well he captured intimate moments with CULTURAL ICONS as they were in the ALCHEMICAL process of SPIRITUAL TRANSCENDENCE and ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT.  being bombarded with his generation-defining photographs of the likes of MILES DAVIS, JANIS JOPLIN, BOB DYLAN, JIMI HENDRIX, JOHN COLTRANE, MUDDY WATERS, THE WHO, CHUCK BERRY, JOHNNY CASH, SANTANA, LED ZEPPELIN, B.B. KING, CREAM, THELONIOUS MONK, JEFFERSON AIRPLANE, THE ROLLING STONES, JOHN LEE HOOKER, THE BEATLES, DUKE ELLINGTON, JOHN MAYALL, ARETHA FRANKLIN, THE GRATEFUL DEAD, DUANE ALLMAN as well as regular people during moments of POLITICAL STRIFE and PERSONAL COURAGE during the midst of the CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, it becomes apparent of his preternatural gift to anticipate the moment and capture it at its peak EMOTIONAL POTENCY.  my breath was taken away because i have had t-shirts and posters of several of what i learned were his PHOTOGRAPHS.  they are iconic 20TH CENTURY CULTURAL MOMENTS, no way around it.

and what makes this documentary so interesting is that for a man with such SENSITIVITY and INTIMATE capacity to capture such images, there was an alternate figure that inhabited the same body that harnessed a mountain of SELF-LOATHING, manic drug consumption and glowing adoration of the PHYSICAL INTERPERSONAL INTIMIDATION that came with gun-wielding.  its very much a JEYKLL and HYDE dynamic at play which allowed him unlimited access and deep TRUST on the part of his subjects and the manufactured fear and loathing of those who tried to get close to him.  growing up in a single-parent immigrant household with just memories of a brutally ABUSIVE father, it make sense that he had issues with INTIMACY outside of what he found in his viewfinder. 

but we are all the more enriched that his work exists and its interesting to consider how the medium itself has transitioned in recent years with the advent of SOCIAL MEDIA and the the proliferation of amateur photographers utilizing the camera phone in their pocket.  we are inundated and bombarded on a minute-by-minute basis with an unrelenting cacophony of poor PHOTOGRAPHY.  much like music, PHOTOGRAPHY itself has been DEVALUED since the advent and CULTURAL UBIQUITY of the IPHONE over the past two decades.  id argue such a state of affairs makes his work stand out that much more.  its interesting to consider that he left the field in the late 1970s once his access became limited by the CORPORATIZATION OF LIVE PERFORMANCES.  in true capitalistic form, even someone as brilliant as MARSHALL was DISPOSABLE and seemingly REPLACEABLE by know-nothing bean counters and invested parties who wanted to control all assets of wealth-generation, including event PHOTOGRAPHS.

so MARSHALL marks the end of an era of sorts.  its hard to believe that his kind will appear again, just given the state of the music business and the pervasiveness of SOCIAL MEDIA.  again, we are all enriched by his work and hopefully this documentary will shed some light on what to the public is an often invisible occupation.

this documentary is a revelation.  SHOW ME THE PICTURE is definitely worth checking out.

when looking at a DIANE ARBUS photograph what you are witnessing firsthand is an experiential document of an alternative AMERICAN narrative from the not-too-distant 1960s and 70s.  her subjects run the gamut from drag queens, side show performers, twins, children, the developmentally challenged, the elderly and those that challenge normative culture with their unique perspective lived experience regarding issues of identity: specifically that of gender, race and sexual identity.

i don't find these images shocking, but for those who do i think it is due to the shallow nature of representation in our media diet of the true scope of lived experience in our country.  too often we are marketed and sold images that placate our national sense of self, which is youth-driven. 

this media reflection is the real freak show.  it distorts our self-perception and makes those that fall outside our collective limited conceptions of beauty and what constitutes "normal" as being outliers that should be disregarded.  this is to blame in my opinion for our infantilized views regarding issues surrounding sexual reproduction, death, aging, health and even family.

when i see her work i am reminded of once underground communities that have since been brought more prominently to the foreground of acknowledged lived experience.  they don't seem that alternative anymore in the face of newer "others" to be castigated and dismissed (Muslims, Hispanics, Africans, Chinese, etc).  not to get all BUDDHIST here, but i will be. there is no other.  there is no dividing line between you, me and all sentient beings on the planet.  it is all a shared experience.  to deny the existence of others is only damaging yourself by extension.

famously the historical BUDDHA, the prince SIDDARTHA GUATAMA, as a kid lived in a palace where he was only surrounded by young, invigorated, healthy people that his father the king purposely put in place within its confines.  one day when outside he saw the reality of the aging process and sickness and death.  his self-perception and sense of reality was called into question and his life decisions took such into consideration accordingly.  it was his real-life ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE played in a way PLATO may have not even imagined, as he used knowledge to further his goal of understanding reality minus blinders of greed and self-interest in the purpose of liberating his fellow sentient beings.


this is all well and good, but i know, again some would argue that the portraits of DIANE ARBUS are exploitative and her subjects the objects of revulsion or titillation.  i'd argue that wholly depends on the viewer.  if your limited scope of lived experience doesn't include these people than perhaps you should reconsider whether it is you that is being exploited by your feeble ignorance.

read a book.  go outside (not during the pandemic).  live a little.  see the world for what it truly is in all its inclusive diversity.

when i look at the photography of WILLIAM EGGLESTON it reminds me of an AMERICA rarely noticed, not the skyscrapers, monuments and public buildings that have contrived meaning loaded into them, but the mundane and ordinary.  a version of AMERICA that is stripped back of pretense and showcases the dignity of middle class exurban landscape of roads, storefronts, living rooms, restaurants and people making their way through life.

there seems to be a real problem in our culture where people look down on those that make a blue-collar living through manual labor, instead placing value and focusing our attention on the superficial "keeping up with the joneses" goals of mass consumerism.  when i was in MANDALAY (MYANMAR) and you got up early enough, usually around dawn, and made your way across the river to the hilltop BUDDHIST temples of nearby SAGAING there was a good chance you would see lines of male and female monks seeking alms for the day.  their one daily meal which consisted wholeheartedly of food donated by their neighbors.  in the BUDDHIST worldview, allowing these monks to follow their spiritual path outside the framework of commerce was a gift with merit by their supporters.  the fact that MYANMAR is a severely poor nation only goes to show how dear this daily gift is to the local community.  there is a dignity in their spiritual work and those supporting it are likewise elevated.

we have none of that in the UNITED STATES.  we have a zero sum mentality with clearly defined winner and losers.  when i see the work of EGGLESTON, i am reminded that there is a beauty and dignity in work and the ordinary lives of everyday AMERICANS, even if our bloated culture and body politic refuse to acknowledge such. 

​his work is a celebration of it.

i remember when i was student teaching at BROOKLYN TECH almost a decade ago i had to film myself instructing students to later be dissected by my counterparts at TEACHERS COLLEGE COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY as part of my masters program.  there was all this focus on presence and persona and clarity of instruction, etc.  i was so caught up with that in mind that i got nervous a week later when the assistant principal walked in and saw a room full of students quietly reading and writing at their desks.  she walked up to me in this silent space and said "there's a lot of action going on right now."  and there was.

thats kind of how i felt when i first saw the work of noted PERSIAN artist/photographer/filmmaker SHIRIN NESHAT, her subjects emoted a depth and feeling that transcended their austere, silent poses.

​if you look at early MUSLIM artwork, before they made the conscious decision against realism/naturalism in favor of calligraphy on religious grounds, there was a focus on the natural world. being surrounded by desert, depictions of heaven, as exemplified by the famous mosaics at the GREAT MOSQUE OF DAMASCUS, is a bountiful oasis with lush vegetation, plump fruits and blooming trees. like arable land, women are viewed as a resource subject to being protected, adored and objectified.

NESHAT's focus on feet, hands and eyes makes sense in that there is a cultural fetish on these exposed parts of the body when wearing an abaya and burqa much like the west have fetishized a women's' breasts, legs and backside.  i saw this firsthand when attending school and later teaching in KUWAIT when we had cultural ministers visiting schools to make sure shirts and skirts were long enough in the classroom.  very interesting indeed.

i remember my senior year in CALIFORNIA visiting the cadaver lab at UC DAVIS on a high school ANATOMY class trip and the parts of the body that they specifically covered were the eyes, hands and feet.  apparently people faint at seeing those as they make the corpse feel "human."  there is a power to those objects, thats all im saying.


what is interesting about NESHAT's work is that she takes PERSIAN calligraphy and contextualizes the female form into a sacred text.  the melding of the sacred and the profane, the natural and the spiritual, the silent and the spoken.  its powerful and thought-provoking and very much makes you consider your cultural baggage and preconceptions regarding the femininity of the other, in this case IRAN and SHI'A MUSLIM culture.  there are depictions of a wide range of women, young and old, militant and praying, subdued and mysterious; all valid.

i find her work compelling and challenging and welcome others to explore it.  a good companion piece to this subject is EDWARD SAID's post-colonial masterwork ORIENTALISM (PANTHEON, 1978) which examines the west's projections of exoticism and otherness to the outside world in order inoculate itself from exposure to new ideas that may complicate their need to dominate.  fits in perfectly with this subject matter.  enjoy.