Marina Abramovic by Youssef Nabil
Egyptian photographer Youssef Nabil uses the forgotten technique of hand coloring silver gelatin photographs to create images evoking an instant pang of nostalgia. For me they recall Mexican wedding photos from my parent's and grandparent's era (also my own Mexican baby photos), and Mexican movie promo photos, I distrust my instant attraction to the work and yet feel compelled by the technique/images nonetheless.
Putting Gabriel (3) and Raul Andres (5) to sleep tonight, the topic of conversation turned to death. Note the person referred to as Haraboji is the kids' great grandfather. A slightly abbreviated transcript:
Gabriel: Dad?
Me: Yes?
Gabriel: Where is Haraboji's wife?
Me: She died before you were born.
Raul Andres: How did she die?
Me: She was very sick.
Raul Andres: I got sick and didn't die.
Me: Well she was very old got very very sick.
Gabriel: Haraboji is sad. He misses her too much.
Raul Andres: Your abuelito and abuelita died.
Me: Yes.
Gabriel: Do you miss them?
Me: Yes.
Gabriel: Will you die?
Me: Yes.
Gabriel: I don't think that is a good idea.
Raul Andres: How would we live?
Me: I don't think it will happen for a long long time when I'm very old. You'll be men by then.
Raul Andres: Will everyone die? Everyone?
Me: Someday.
[quiet]
Gabriel: Then who will live in the world?
Me: Well, all the babies who are being born today. They'll grow up and have new babies.
Gabriel: But if we die, they'll never know us.
[quiet]
Raul Andres: I know what happens when you die. They put your body in the ground and cover it up.
Gabriel: So scientists can find you later?!
Raul Andres: And they put a rock with your name on top to remember.
Gabriel: But how can you remember everyone?
Me: Well, sometimes even after we die we give things to people. Like Gabriel even though you never met my Abuelito he gave you his ears, and Raul Andres, even though you never knew him, you have the same eyes. So I remember him every day when I look at you guys and you remember him even though you never knew him.
Gabriel: I have your Abulitos ears.
Raul Andres: I have your Abulitos eyes.
[quiet]
[The sound of two kids alseep.]
Related: Abuelito's Ears, Bloodlines
I'm a huge fan of Asako Narahashi's work. Her book Half Asleep and Half Awake In The Water is one I've turned to many times over the last two years (my copy is was signed by the artist at an opening here in NY, but ironically was waterstained by one of my kids a few hours later). Ms. Narahashi is now showing a new related body of work titled Coming Closer and Getting Further Away which she bills as the "oversees version" of Half Asleep. These photos taken in Dubai, Paris, Korea, Brooklyn, Taiwan, and Germany are infused with her signature lyricism, but unfortunately the full project isn't available online. You can see some images from Dubai here and from Korea here. (via japan foto info)
A few months ago photographer John Maloof discovered a huge cache of photographs and negatives (many unprocessed) by an unknown Chicago photographer named Vivian Maier. It was an incredible find and a great story. I've been following along ever since and eagerly look forward to John's updates of Maier's work. A few recently rediscovered images:
Want learn more about the photographer? She now has a wikipedia page.
Just discovered this Macpaint file collecting screenshots of various early Mac icons (some finder icons, some in-application icons, some resedit icons). Most are circa 1985, although several are later. 10 points to the person who can name them all.
Need a cheatsheet? Check out the insanely detailed Vintage Mac Museum which not only has icons, but also houses screenshots, of many — but not all — of these apps.
Want the story the sad mac icon's birth: Read here.
Swiss photographer Yann Gross' portfolio of skateboarders in Uganda is excellent. He's also made a short documentary about the skateboarders. Fascinating comparing the portfolio images to the video.
Gross' website houses a number of bodies of work (everything from an imagined modern day life of Czech composer Leos Janacek to stories of deforestation in Brazil) and deserves exploration. (via Colin Pantall's photography blog)
Mike Brodie who goes by Polaroid Kidd, primarily photographs what he calls travel culture — some might call it domestic backpacking culture, or modern hobo culture. Whatever the name, he makes plenty of compelling images, including the one above which probably has nothing to do with travel culture.
Brody's Gallery can be found here.
More Images & Even more images
If travel culture interests you, also check out the work of Todd Seelie who is often out there on the road and having more fun than most of us... He also has more websites than most of us: Blog, , Portfolio Site, & Of Quiet.
Related: Gabriel is one
A few years ago on lensculture Marc Feustel posted excerpts of an interview with the great Hiroh Kikai. This week Feustel finally posted a fuller version of the interview. If you're a Hiroh Kikai fan (and how could you not be?), please click over there.
If you don't own Hiroh Kikai's book Asakusa Portraits and you're reading this blog, well, you probably should.
My friend and 20x200 colleague Sara Distin will be running her first marathon in support of First Descents, a charity providing guidance and support young adults with cancer. The date of the race coincides with the anniversary of her dad's death. Of the charity she writes:
Had First Descents been around in 1984 when my dad was diagnosed at the age of 37, I imagine he would have been quick to sign himself up. A lifelong outdoorsman, he kept on hiking, windsurfing and skiing as long as he was able. When doctors forbade it and common sense probably should have stopped him, he slipped out of the house in the middle of the night to windsurf and wander. He lived with cancer for 11+ years. Along the way, he imparted his love for life, the outdoors and adventure to me and my sweet sister, Katie.
(Read more from Sara
about the race and the charity
.)
My incentive to you to make a donation is this: everyone who donates more that $500 towards Sara's goal will be in the running to receive a 20x24 print of mine titled "Father and Son" (#2 of 7, signed). Of my own images, this is one of my favorites.
I will award the 20x24 print to a person selected at random from the pool of contributors after the race in April. Additionally, every person who makes a $500+ donation via this web post will get a signed 8.5x11 print of my choosing.
To be entered in the pool:
1) Make your donation.2) Let me know about the donation by emailing me: RAUL *A-T* MEXICANPICTURES.COM. Then let me know whether you'd like your name publicized and send me your shipping address.
3) I'll compare notes with Sara at race time and we'll select the winner of the 20x24 print from the pool of entrants. The small prints will also be sent out at this time.
By entering you help young people with cancer, sponsor a lovely human being running her first marathon, get a tax deduction, and receive a free print - possibly a 20x24. This methinks is not bad deal.
Last year I decided each month should be marked by a project.
January Project:Shine light on the mysteries of the F train.
January 4: Saw a guy with a pinky ring and remembered a friend of mine who said she had a boyfriend who wore a pinky ring and did "pinky ring kinds of things". I never knew what that meant exactly, but I wondered if this guy would know what she was talking about.
January 5: Do women with with extremely dense, extremely curly hair use their hair as pillow on the road?
January 6: I've seen many of people in this car before. How long does one live in New York before every day is an encounter with the vaguely familiar?
January 7: The subway car is quiet, but the loudness of people's thoughts is deafening. Wonder if any people here saw Wings of Desire and are thinking the same thing?
January 8: Guy in a nice suit. Drunk. 10am.
January 11: Where does one find blue jeans decorated with AK47 silhouettes? And bullet holes! They have manufactured bullet holes.
January 12: Guy with mismatched socks. Actually not much of a mystery because the guy is me. **Bonus mystery: Why is it that one always sees people reading Marquez novels in pairs?
January 13: French people telling knock knock jokes.
January 14: On the ride home in a mostly empty subway car a girl who is about 20 sat down next to a guy who is about 20. They want to talk. Maybe when I exit
January 15: Fellow with a new Zune.
January 18: Saw a guy who reminded me of a kid I knew in kindergarten named Roderick Ross. Wondered if this guy might be Roderick grown up? I didn't ask.
January 19: A girl in a yellow coat is crying quietly.
January 20: How does a person smell like fish and peppermint at the same time?
January 21: Woman with a violin case decorated with stickers for The Cramps.
January 22: Man wearing 2 scarves.
January 25: A lady is eating black licorice on purpose.
January 26: Black coats all around then a woman in a red coat enters. Everyone turns.
January 27: Girl literally whistling Dixie.
January 28.: Fellow with mullet. Of you mulletman I ask: Where does one go to acquire such a stunning mullet cut these days?
January 29: A woman drew X's, O's, and hearts all over her hand and up part of her arm.She looks tired — not the hand drawing type. Maybe she didn't draw them. Maybe it was one of her kids. She looks too young for kids. Looks like she's going to work.
Talked to a photographer friend today who had never heard of Yasuhiro Ishimoto. A situation I feel I had to correct:
Ishimoto was born in San Francisco, moved to Japan at 3, and then moved back at 17 only to be put in an interment camp a few years later. After being released he lived in Chicago from the late 40's to the 60's where he made many iconic photographs. While he returned to Japan in the 60's and has been there ever since, his his best known for his Chicago work. You can get a small taste of Ishimoto's sharp eye by scanning this gallery (unfortunately on an aggressively awkward-to-navigate website). A few images can be also seen at the Museum of Contemporary Photography. To really give Ishimoto his full due you have to grab one his books. A Tale of Two Cities is a good place to start.
I love this image by Hanna Pierce-Carlson. Hannah and her husband Michael recently moved Taiwan and she's obviously been inspired by the place. Hannah blogs about the transition on insig.ht, a group photography blog. It will be exciting to follow the work and see where it goes.
I've always been something of a space geek (Many of my childhood bookplates are signed, Raul A. Gutierrez, Future Space Pilgrim) so Vincent Fournier's Space Project hits me squarely in the solar plexus. Fournier travelled to space centers worldwide including the Yuri Gagarin Space Research Center, The Mars Desert Research Station in Utah, The Guiana Space Center, and the Atcama Desert Observatories in Chile and came back with a set of pictures that tells me Vincent is a pretty big space geek himself.
