In the meeting last night we discussed the importance of photobooks and passed around titles including:
Let Us Know Praise Famous Men by Walker Evans and James Agee
Nicaragua by Susan Meiselas
Mine Fields by Bill Burke
Naked City by Weegee
Photobooks are a unique and very important way to experience photography. They offer up an unmediated story put forth by the photographer, combining elements of information, document, and art. While it is great to know about the work being put forth by publishers like Steidl, Aperture, and Phaidon, it is also important for young photographers to think about making their own books. Websites like Blurb and MyPublisher offer a cheap and easy way to create your own book.
To learn about the thousands of photobooks that have been published in years past check out Artbook or read The Photobook: A History, Vol. I and II by Martin Parr and Gerry Badger (available in the Tisch library).
If you are interested in learning about new and unusual photobooks, check out the blog Little Brown Mushroom started by Alec Soth.
There are some great photographers coming to MassArt this semester and I urge you all to attend these talks.
Livia Corona, March 1, 2PM. Kennedy Building, Room 206
Penelope Umbrico, March 29, 2PM. Kennedy Building, Room 406
Katy Grannan, April 12, 2PM. Tower Auditorium
Walead Beshty, April 26, 2PM. Tower Auditorium
Abelardo Morell, May 10, 6PM. Tower Auditorium
Two Million Homes for Mexico by Livia Corona
All lectures are open to the public, but seating may be limited. Please see the attached poster for more details and let me know if you have any questions.
Many Exposure members, past and present, have done great work while teamed up with nonprofits. If you’re searching for an internship or interested in pitching ideas for collaborations, check it out!
Traditional film archives face a new role in the world of digital media. So as Magnum Photos (founded by Robert Cappa, Henri Cartier-Bresson and other renowned photographers) began scanning their archives, they decided that it is possible to part with the original prints. Since the archival importance of the prints diminished after their digitization, Magnum decided to sell them and focus on expanding its modern photographic and journalistic endeavors rather than clinging to its past. (Troubling economic times also factored into their decision.)
Check out the NY Times article here, and although the prints are “on the move,” you can still enjoy them at the Magnum website.
Back in October, Tufts celebrated National Coming Out Day by presenting an open forum for students, allies, professors, and politicians alike (Representative Carl Sciortino came and spoke!) to share stories and thoughts about coming out and LGBT love. The air was incredible – happiness, reflection, pride, and somberness all rolled into one. At the end of the event, attendees snagged American Apparel’s “Legalize Gay” t-shirts… and ending up on their web site as a result! These are some of the best shots from the event…
This Thursday, January 28, the show’s opening will take place at 6:00 PM. More information is available on the IGL website, and you can RSVP at the Facebook event here.
I have been thinking a lot recently about the power of photographic essays to create change and influence the way the viewer thinks about the world. I think the power of photography now is to show people something they have never seen before and then allowing the viewer to make decisions on how they interact with the world based off of that. These two quotes, one from Edward Burtynsky and the other from Susan Meiselas, both expand on the photographer’s personal journeys to create meaningful photographic works that impact society.
“There are times when I have thought about my work and putting it into a more politicized environment. If I said this is a terrible thing we are doing to the planet, then people will either agree or disagree. By not saying what you should see, that may allow them to look at something that they had never looked at and to see the world a little differently. So I think many people today sit in that uncomfortable spot where we don’t necessarily want to give up what we have, but they realize what we are doing is creating problems that run deep. It is not a simple right or wrong; it needs a whole new way of thinking.” – Edward Burtynsky Manufactured Landscapes.
For two days each October, the Charles River is transformed by the largest rowing regatta in the world. Lured by the world-class athletes and dynamic crowd that attend every year, a few exposure members ventured to Cambridge to experience and document the event. Our photographs help us to tell the story of the Head of the Charles; a sporting event that is like none other.
Groups of people gravitated to the shores of the Charles early on the morning of October 17th. Even at that hour, the passion and energy of the competitors was tangible in the sounds of their oars slicing the water and in the strain of their muscles, which one could easily see from the river’s edge or one of the bridges that reached across the Charles.
On Tuesday I went to the Martha Coakley victory rally at the Sheraton Boston. Unfortunately for Attorney General Coakley and her supporters, victory was nowhere to be found.
Growing Pains for Beijing's Contemporary Art Scene
The Chinese artist Lu Lin leans back into a sectioned couch in the corner of his hangar-like studio in Song Zhuang, a traditional village turned artist community to the East of Beijing. The figure of the artist is dwarfed by the towering canvases around the open room: dramatic, mixed media works that mingle traditional Chinese painting formats with total abstraction and sweeps of bright color. It is clear from his studio that Lu does well by his art. Yet, “When people ask me what Chinese contemporary art is like,” the artist says, narrowing his eyes, “I say that China has no contemporary art.”.
This blog is run by its student members to produce work, review work of professionals, and foster discussions. Its content is their own, and the IGL takes no responsibility for the content of its pages.
