What is UP with all of these old buildings??
Just kidding.
C’mon, did you seriously…what do you think….am i nuts?
Look, I come from a place where it sometimes feels like the oldest building is just being finished.
Yes, Los Angeles.
So it has been a joy walking around this beautiful city, sampling the street food, and staying warm.
But that’s not what you came here to read about.
Day 2 of Paris-Photo has been a closer look at the work on hand. There are some trends, some “homages” and some images I will probably never see again.
Case in point: at the Danial Blau Gallery, they are exhibiting some autochromes, the process created by the Lumiere Brothers, with images made by Leon Gimpel in 1910. Patented in 1903, these images are shown in a low light with a dim lightbox showing their beauty.Amazing. These samples are mere shadows of what they are like in person. At another gallery in the city, Galerie Meyer are autochromes made by the Lumieres. We’ll see those on Sunday and give you a virtual tour.
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One of the trends I’ve noticed is the mounting of large photographs flush to clear plexiglas. When i first saw it done by Ruud van Empel, it was a unique, at least here, technique that added to the imagery. there have been photographers from the Middle East who came upon it in close to the same period.But there seems to have a been a modern explosion. I suppose the question is what does the plexi do to the print. That’s tomorrows assignment.
What is called “vernacular” sometimes takes on a new meaning in this fair. There is a richness in the history reflecting a culture that has changed drastically since the images were made. They not only give a very personalized sense of another’s family history, an added layer is the unassuming cultural norms that are revealed. Usually this category of photography illustrates a time past with fashion and mechanisms defining a bit of the period. But here are radical visual cues.
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Big is definitely still the new black. Huge images dominated the show, although the classic masters (other than the fashion masters) maintain a size that can be displayed on a regulation wall.
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(it’s a bold choice buying a Joel Peter witkin image. So extremely strong, even this fair had to shroud it in a curtain. Where will you hang it in your home?)
Yep, sometimes you can fall in love with an image, pursue it, and once you have purchased it, wonder where to hang it. And hang it properly. That is a whole other discussion.
One solution I found are easels in different parts of the house that allow you to switch your art in and out at will. Just a suggestion.
And now some images from the floor:
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Always wear white gloves while handling prints. That fromage and jambon baguette may have some residue.
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The exhibitors wander and check it out also. they came into this business with a passion to after all.
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At The Photographer’s Gallery, Vee Speers is featured with a series on children’s birthday parties. observing children playing at being adults. The image of the boy is from the series. the woman is not.
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Quick shot of a new approach to flower vases; this time, real fish inhabit the glass along with the stalks. And right next to the sushi. that had to hurt on some level.
And there is always tomorrow.
Cheers!
Damon Webster
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