Dana Stirling : Editor dana.stirling1@gmail.com Yoav Friedlander : Editor Contributing Photographers David Levinthal Bill O’Donnell June Korea Baoyang Chen Grant Gill Taner Besen Susan Keiser Hanna Bradbury Guy Tzaraf Ido Abramsohn Fossile Alijaz Celarc
Cover David Levinthal Back Cover Ido Abramsohn Contact floatzine@gmail.com Facebook Float Photo Magazine All images Published in Float Magazine are the sole property of the featured authors (photographers, contributers and editors) and subject to copy-rights. No image or text may be reproduced, edited, copied or distributed without the express written permission of its legal owner. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, digital or mechanical, printed, edited or distributed without the prior written consent of the publisher. All Rights Reseved.
Float v. float路ed, float路ing, floats Middle English floten, from Old English flotian; see pleu- in Indo-European roots. a. To remain suspended within or on the surface of a fluid without sinking; b. To be suspended in or move through space as if supported by a liquid; c. to put forth (as a proposal) for acceptance; to be lighter than air, and to move slowly through it; to suggest an idea for people to consider to see how they will react;
David Levinthal www.davidlevinthal.com
Alamo, 2014
Tall Grass, from the series Vietnam, 2011
History
/ David Levinthal
I n t e r v i e w w i t h ph o t o g r a ph e r D a v i d L e v i n t h a l B y Yo a v F r i e d l a n d e r & D a n a S t i r l i ng
Da v i d Le v i n t h a l s t a r t e d hi s j our ney w i th toy s
an
a nti - pho to g raphic
d u ri ng h i s s t u d i e s at Ya l e. He col l a b or a ted
a l most c o ntradicting the indexical principle
wi t h G ar r y Tr u d e au t o p r od uce a w or k a nd
of
b ook t h a t r e c r e at e s t h e E a ster n F r ont (WWI I )
l i ke p er spective o f a small scaled wo rld
u s i n g t o y s o l d i e r s . S i n ce then he ha s b een
sur p r i si ng ly tells us mo re abo ut o ur culture,
e x pl o r i n g t h e n o t i o n s of our r ea l i ty, p op ul a r
our hi stor y and the medium o f pho to g raphy
c u l t u r e a n d h i s t o r y w hi l e usi ng mi ni a tur es
i tsel f
and models.
Da v i d ’s
the
captured
than
a
style
imag e.
straig ht
imag es
at
are
the This
time, child-
pho to g raph like
can.
co ncentrated
meta p hors that examine o ur remembrance We me t D av i d i n h i s stud i o. The stud i o i s
of hi stor y, and o ur memo ries o f the past.
f i l l e d w i t h b o x e s f r o m top to b ottom. E a ch b ox c a r e f u l l y l ab e l e d b y p er i od or ev ent, m a k i n g i t s e e m as i f a l l of hi stor y i s stor ed in
t ho s e
boxes,
an d
si tti ng
on
metr o
“W h en I first sta rte d d oing the toy s o l di ers I re a lly just se t the m up on the
shelves.
f l o o r o f my b e d room. I think tha t’s whe re
A c o u p l e o f s e t s w e r e up , gi v i ng us a r a r e
th e very low p e rsp e c tive c a me from.
gl i m p s e i n t o , p e r h ap s , a f utur e p hotogr a p h.
A l s o , be c a use the y a re toys a nd the y are rel ative ly sma ll, it’s e sse ntia lly e ye
in
l evel i f you we re a toy. The re a re a fe w
sta r ted
i n s tan ce s, a nd I think the re will p rob a b ly
p hotogr a p hy
be m o re a s I sta rt working with the 35
wa s c o n s i d e r e d a s a med i um of “Tr uth
m m [di gita l c a me ra ], whe re I ha ve tha t
Te l l i ng ” ,
w her e
f l exi bi l i ty of moving, ha nd hold ing it.
d ocuments.
W h en I sta rte d , I use d to ha nd hold
Da v i d their
L e v i n t h a l ’s ae s t h e t i c s .
p h ot o g r ap h i n g
making
and
i m a ges Back
are
w hen
m i n i a tur es, many
uni q ue he
photogr a p her s
p h o t o g r ap h s
as
war
th e
s i n gle
f ron t s, s t r e e t s , n a t u r e a nd p eop l e, Da v i d
s et
th e
f ou n d h i s r e a l m am o ng a nother ki nd of
th e ph otogra p h would ha ve move me nt
p h ot o g r ap h y ; p e r h a p s ev en a new ki nd of
i n addi tion to the ve ry na rrow d e p th
p h ot o g r ap h y. D a v i d f o und a n enti r e w or l d
o f f i el d. I think one of the first things I
of re p r e s e n t a t i o n t h r o ugh the p er cep ti v el y
f o u n d wa s tha t the na rrow d e p th of
n a ï v e e y e - l e v e l i m a g e s of toy sol d i er s a nd
f i el d cre a te d a se nse of move me nt a nd
m i n i f i g u r e s . W i t h e x t r emel y l ow d ep th of
i t m ade the figure s look more re a l. I t
f i e l d , t o t h e p o i n t o f c o mp l ete b l ur r i ness, I t
h i de th eir “ toyne ss” . I t wa s a sort of
i s a l m o s t as i f D av i d Lev i ntha l ha d cr ea ted
do cu m enta ry- like in tha t re ga rd .”
Wh i l e
others
were
p hotogr a p hi ng
le ns
Rollie
a nd
p urp ose ly
shutte r
sp e e d
ve ry
slow,
so
Iw o Jima, 2012
Dav i d
is
not
inv ested
in
d eta i l ed
ph o t o g r ap h s o f t h e mi ni a tur es he uses. To s e e e v e r y l i t t l e p a r t a nd d eta i l i s not cr uci a l . T he n ar r o w d e p t h of f i el d el i mi na tes most of t h e d e t ai l s , b u t they a r e sti l l hi nted a t. By s e e i n g t h e m i n i ma l a mount of necessa r y de t ai l , o n e c a n r e cr ea te the i ma ge a s a wh o l e ; o n e c an r econstr uct the mi ssi ng de t ai l s
from
the
p er sona l
a nd
cul tur a l
i ma g e v o c ab u l a r y. An a ccur a te d ep i cti on of t h e f i g u r e s i s n ot w ha t’s a t sta ke; i t i s t h e i m p r e s s i o n an d the r egener a ti on of a mo m e n t u s i n g m i n i atur es a nd p hotogr a p hy t h at i s t h e k e y n o t e i n hi s w or k.
“One of my favorite dioramas is one where a cowboy is sort of lifted off of his feet. He has just been shot and is falling into a wooden wall. That’s the way the figure is made. You can see in a lot of these [dioramas] that there is so much action in the figures.”
Dallas 1963, 2013
u s ed to b e re mote is now ve ry p re se nt. I n It f e e l s , i n m an y o f D av i d ’s i ma ges, tha t they a r e
th e o l d d a ys of “ LI FE ” Ma ga zine , the y would
b a s e d on m o v i e s , o r a p p r o p r i a ted sy mb ol s a nd
h ave
at t ri b u t e s f r o m t h e f i l m i n d u s tr y. We’v e p ond er ed
yo u would se e p ic ture s of some thing tha t
wi t h t h e i d e a, an d as k e d D av i d i f hi s a ud i ence
h appen e d a lmost a we e k a go. Nowa d a ys,
nee ds t o ap p r o a c h t h e i m a ges w i th some ki nd
yo u
of ‘ i m a ge l i b r a r y ’ i n o r d e r t o p ut them i n contex t
I
an d u n d e rst an d t h e m f u l l y ?
ph o to g ra p hs
se nt
see
th i n k
a
p hotogra p he r
e ve rything whe n
a lmost
some one of
to
c onflic t,
is
in
shoot
re a l
looking the y’re
a nd
time . at
my
b ringing
a l o t of visua l ima ge ry from the ir me mory “N ot n ece ss a r i l y. I g re w up i n th e 5 0 ’s an d
to th em. Pe op le ha ve this va st ima ge b a nk
telev is ion w a s f l o o d e d w i th co wbo y s h o ws .
th at m y p hotogra p hs sp e a k to in a wa y. I n
I th ink it d e p e n d s w h i c h g e n erati o n s ees th e
parti cu l a r the p hotogra p h of Ke nne d y just
im ages .
ref eren ce
bef o re the a ssa ssina tion. The c a r wa s ma yb e
w ou ld b e W W I I , K o re a a nd V i etn am . T h ere
3 -4 i n ch long a t most, the figure s we re tiny,
h as been c o n st a n t i m a g e r y o f war, an d wh at
very po orly ma d e , b ut wha t’s in foc us is the
For
my
g e n e r a t io n
th e
Fall of Berlin 1945, 2012
p res iden tia l f l a g o v e r t h e f ro n t o f th e car, an d in s of t f o c u s y o u se e Jacki e’s pi n k h at. I t imm ed ia t e l y t e l l s y o u t h a t’s wh ere yo u are. Th at is all t h e i n f o r m a t i o n y o u real l y n eed.” O u r re a l i t i e s ( o f t h e p as t a n d p r esent) a nd the im a ge s t ha t d o c u m e n t an d r ep r esent them, are bl e n d e d t o g e t h e r i n s u c h a w a y tha t they cr e a t e a s e am l e s s c o n t i n uum i n our mi nd . It i s h a rd an d b e c o m i n g h ar d er to d i sti ngui sh b e t we e n t h e e v e n t , i t s d o c u menta ti on a nd i ts re pre s e n t a t i o n s a s i m a g e s ar e mor e i mmed i a te an d c on c ur r e n t l y b e i n g i n f u sed i nto the r ea l i ty of a pre s e n t m o m e n t . P h o togr a p hy used to b e t h e d o c u m e n t o f a p a st ev ent, b ut a s
ti me p ro g resses, all we are left with is the p hotog raph that beco mes the o nly sig nifier o f the ev ent. The pho to g raph determines ho w we v i sua l l y remember o ur histo r y, as the reality o f a p a st fades away. David’s wo rk is based o n thi s notio n o f re-creating o ur past by using p hotog raphy, which is, after all, the immediate tool of do cumentatio n; co nstantly using mini fi gur es and scale mo dels that are pro bably b a sed o n pho to g raphs, fo rming an endless l oop of imag er y and symbo ls. “T h e
cowb oy
figure s,
I
ha d
some
as
a
ki d, the re is a p ic ture of me in 1954 a t Ch ri s tma s p la ying with the m…I t oc c ure d to
Gunfight at The OK Corral, 2014
me w hen the o r i g i n a l m o l d s were m ade i n Germ an y, th at th ey we re ba sed on pa i n t i n g s a n d sc u l ptu res o f po pu l ar cu l tu re o f th e ti me . I t made p er fect se n s e . T h e re i s a l ways s o m e ki n d o f ref eren ce. The y
are
always
som ething. prob ab ly
The
b a se d
military
lift e d
f ro m
on
o n es
are
p h o t o graph s ,
no t as much p a i n t i n g s . T h e i m ag e be comes ico n i c , a n d t h a t ’s h o w i t’s goin g to alwa y s b e p e rc e i v ed. T h e re ali ty becom e s t h e f a n t a s y. ” Ho lly wood side
war
i m a ge s
from wa rs .
movies
and
s t an d
actual
a l ong
d o c u ments,
C i n e m a t i c p r o d u c t ions a r e
exag ge ra t e d , s h o w i n g t h i n g s t h at coul d have n ot be e n p r e s e n t o r c ap t ur ed b y t he ph ot ogra p h e r s t h a t w e r e sent to t he fron t . M ov i e s “ f i l l u p ” b l a n k sp a ces, cr ea t i n g p e rso n a l s t o r i e s t h a t ma y or m ay n ot h a v e b e e n a p a r t o f the r ea l war. W h e n p e o p l e t r y t o r e memb er, t heir m e m ori es a r e f o r m e d f rom the real
d oc u m e n t a t i o n
in
a d d i t i on
the
Ho lly wood v e r s i o n . “I
think ,
particularly
with
“Hi tl er
M ov es Eas t” t h e re w a s a l m o s t n o H oll y w ood fil m s d e a l i n g w i t h t hat an d actually n ot a t re m e n d o u s a m o u n t o f do cu mentar y f o o t a g e . I w a s pri m ari l y lo ok ing at h u n d re d s a n d t h o u s an ds of p h otogr ap h s. S o l i t t l e w a s kn o wn abo u t the Ea s t e r n F ro n t a t t h e ti m e. By the tim e w e f i n i s h e d t he bo o k the re w as m o re a n d m o re m a t e ri al . “ A t t h e t i m e , D a v i d ’s w o r k w as focusi ng on a s u bj e c t m a t t e r t h a t d i d n ’t ha v e an a b u n d a n ce o f i m ag e s . At t he ti me Davi d wa s c r e at i n g h i s e ar l y w or k, I t was a s i f y ou w e r e l o o k i n g at i ma ges t hat
c ou l d
have
been
a
d ocument
of wa r. Re v e al i n g i m a g e s t h at w er e a l most hi d d en, r ecov er i ng i m ag es t hat we re u n c o v e r e d y e t . H i s i ma ges w er e a d d ed to the i ma ge b a nk o f Helicopter, from the series Vietnam, 2010
WWI I , ev en though they were stag ed pho to g raphs o f miniatures; they r ep r esented tha t w a r a t a time where pho to g raphic do cumentatio ns w er e sca r cel y a v a i l a b l e. There may be a g eneratio n o f peo ple that will g ro w up, lo o king at David’s imag es as a reference, and as a do cument o f the real war, and no t o nly as fine art pho to g raphy. These imag es are no w, in so me way, a stro ng do cumentatio n o f that time. “ One of the re a sons tha t we c hose to c re a te our b ook b a se d on the E a ste r n Front wa s b e c a use the re wa s so little ima ge ry out the re , it
“...what’s in focus is the presidential flag over the front of the car, and in soft focus you see Jackie’s pink hat. It immediately tells you that’s where you are. That is all the information you really need” re a lly ga ve a b la nk sla te , whe re if you would sa y D- Da y the re wa s so ma ny would
ima ge s be
a nd
c a ught
films
tha t
you
re p lic a ting.
The
I ma ge would n’t ha ve b e e n ne w. As I p hotogra p h the “ History” p roje c t I inte nd on going b a c k to things like D- Da y , a s it’s fa r le ss fa milia r now to
the
younge r
ge ne ra tion.
The re
is a d ista nc e to it, it’s not a s we ll known.” Recent events are no t yet Histo r y; they must sur vive the test o f time and thro ug h
cultural
tides.
David’s
new
b od y of w or k “Hi stor y ” go es back in time and re-examines past key ev ents thr ough hi s uni q ue aesthetic. Liberating himself fro m a specific
The Searchers, 2014
er a or ge o g r a p h y, ‘ H i s t o r y ’ i s a n op en sub j ect,
si gni f i es a kno wn event, and yet the viewer
as l on g a s e n o u g h t i m e h as p a ssed f r om i ts
i mmed i ately
hi s t ori c m o m e n t a n d s u b s e q uent r ep r esenta ti on.
f r om hi s o r hers accumulated imag e bank.
Da v i d’s n e w w o r k f o r m s i n a w a y a n i ma ge tha t
It
co u l d h a v e e x i s t e d b u t h av e nev er q ui te d i d .
p er cep ti o n o f reality. The title o f his new wo rk
is
reco nstructs
r e ality’s
replica
the
that
missing
has
details
chang ed
o ur
“Hi stor y ”, reflects back o n the no tio n and idea “I w as n’t l o o k i n g f o r h i s to ri cal accu racy…
b ehi nd histo r y in itself.
I think tha t m y w o r k i s a co m bi n ati o n o f th e im age its e l f a n d t h e se n s i bi l i ty th at I f eel as
“T h ere
a re
no
b ound a rie s
for
the
ne w
I ’m look in g a t t h e i m a g e I was taki n g .”
“Hi s to ry” p roje c t. I n the p a st I use d to ma ke a s eri es, a nd in a se nse wha t I ’m d oing now
We don ’ t se e n o r e x p e r i e n c e our r ea l i ty thr ough a
b l u rr y
i s a s erie s within a se rie s, so I c a n ta ke a n ic onic
vision,
ye t
from
D av i d ’s
im a ge s
re a lly
a nything.
still
m a n a ge
mome nt
fe e l
to
like
I I
can
sum m on f ro m o u r
go
‘b ra i n
ar c h i v e ’
wa nt. I got this
memories
Troja n Wa r se t,
ou r an d
i d e as
p e rs on a l , an d
use d it
(even
that
from
a
see
ex pe ri e n c e
gold .
visua l
A
lot
p rob le m
solving, I know
p h ot ogra p h i c do
the
of wha t I d o is
ar e pre-
er a ).
wa s
horse . I p a inte d
h i s t o r i c al
t h os e
I
a nd a ll I re a lly
of
iconic,
m om e n t s
a nywhe re
We
the
and
the ima ge , a nd
our
I
fra gm e n t e d
are i n no me a ns historic a l a c c ura te figure s,
ti me
enca p sul a ted
work
toge the r
di ff eren t
of
to
p ut
of
re a l i t y t h ro u g h i t s d e p i c t i o ns, segmented a nd moments
e le me nts
c onc e p t
toge the r.
The y
sma l l
bu t i n my mind it’s irre le va nt. I fe e l with the
an d s pe c i f i c d e t ai l s t h a t s igni fy ma j or ev ents
“Hi s to ry” se rie s tha t I c a n re a lly op e n it up to
ac c u m u l a t e i n o u r v i s u al voca b ul a r y, a nd i n
an yth i n g.”
in
ph ot og r a p h s .
The
r e i ter a ti ons
of
t im e t h e y b e c o m e a n i m med i a te key to the re m e m bra n c e o f h i s t o r y a s i t i s r ep r esented . Thi s
n a t u r al
process
al l o w s
Da v i d
L ev i ntha l
t o c re a t e i m a g e s t h a t a r e a l most comp l etel y b l u rre d ,
t h at
Fall of Troy, 2014
bare
only
a
sca r ce
hi nt
tha t
World War I, The Somme, 2014
The Titanic, 2014
Washington Crossing the Delaware, 2013
HISTORY EXHIBITION AT GEORGE EASTMAN HOUSE
February 7–May 24, 2015 Project Gallery Presented to the public for the first time, David Levinthal’s History series is the culmination of the photographer’s work over the past 35 years. His large-scale photographs suggest the role that images play in both our understanding of the past and our personal relationship with history. Drawing on an expansive visual index embedded in collective memory through television, movies, art, and popular culture, Levinthal creates historical scenarios using toys and miniature collectibles, then presents them as the modern, photographic equivalent of academic history paintings.
EXHIBITION CATALOGUE A new 92-page illustrated companion book published by Kehrer Verlag includes essays by art critic Dave Hickey and Eastman House Curator-in-Charge of the Department of Photography Lisa Hostetler. Available March 9 in the Eastman House Store and online at eastmanhouse.org.
900 East Avenue , Rochester, NY 14607-2298 | eastmanhouse.org Right image: David Levinthal (American, b. 1949). Napoleon Crossing the Alps (detail), 2013. Inkjet print. George Eastman House. Gift of Donald Rosenfeld Jr. © David Levinthal
HIstory
David Levinthal
Many Rooms Bill O’Donnell
As I Slept, I Left My Camera Over There June Korea
De-ShanShui Baoyang Chen
The Recondite Grant Gill
Monolith
Taner Besen
A River Made of Time and Memory
Susan Keiser
Encased
Hanna Bradbury
Still Life
Guy Tzaraf
Diorama
Ido Abramsohn
42
64
78
120
134
148
162
float magazine - issue no. I V
96
DI MIN U TIVE 4 28
Many Rooms / Bill O’Donnell Thes e pi ct ures w ere s ho t i n a ru s t in g t in d ollh o us e. The i mpl aus i bl e s et t i ng i s a labo rat o r y f or st udy o f t he t hree pri mar y co n c e rn s o f t h e West ern phi l o s o phi cal t radi t i o n: K nowl edg e, C o nduct and Go v ernan c e . H ow do w e kno w w hat w e kno w ? H ow mi g ht o ne l i v e a v i rt uo us l i fe? Wha t i s t he rel at i o ns hi p bet w een t h e in div idu al a nd s o ci et y ? The endl es s cy cl e o f acqui s i t i o n an d lo s s o f knowl edg e can rang e fro m t he bi rt h , e du c at io n a nd deat h o f a w i s e t eacher t o t he bu ildin g an d d estruct i o n o f a g reat l i brar y.
www.bi l l o do n n el l ph o to g raph y.c om
The val ue o f kno w l edg e i s repres e n t e d in G re e k mytho l o g y and phi l o s o phy as a g o l de n t h re ad; t h e one that l eads Thes eus s afel y back f ro m t h e de pt h s of the M i no t aur ’s l abyri nt h i s repea t e d as Plat o ’s gold en co rd, a pat h o f reas o n t h at g u ide s o n e sa f ely t hro ug h t he maze o f appet i t e an d e m o t io n s . A golden co rd w eaves i t s w ay t h ro u g h o u t t h e d ollhous e i n t hi s w o rk.
The i deal w o rl d o f g eo met ri c s hape s an d s o lids ha s been us ed fo r cent uri es t o s u g g e s t t h e existence o f o t her i mmut abl e t rut h s , in c lu din g thos e i ndi s pens abl e t o fo rmat i o n o f a m o ral com pas s . C l unky but t rans cende n t g e o m e t ric f or m s appear i n s o me o f t he pi ct ure s . F ina ll y, t he t ens i o n bet w een i nd iv idu al libe rt y a nd s o ci al res po ns i bi l i t y i s o ft en de s c ribe d a s a t hres ho l d t o be ho no red o r c ro s s e d. I n ma ny i mag es , I us e w i ndo w s an d do o rs , t h e membranes bet w een publ i c and priv at e , t o a d d res s t he t ens i o n bet w een s o c ie t y an d t h e ind iv i dual .
As I slept, I left my camera over there / June Korea
I t wa s abo ut t w ent y -fi ve years ag o . I st ill re m e m be r t h e time when I w as pl ayi ng w i t h do l l s . T h e f ig u re s t h at looked j us t l i ke human bei ng s w ere t alk in g , m o v in g , a nd b r eat hi ng j us t l i ke me, j us t l i ke u s . I t ru ly be lie v e d tha t they w ere al i v e. Ho w ev er, o ne day, I re aliz e d I comp letel y fo rg o t ho w t hey w ere d o in g . T h e y ju s t stop p ed t al ki ng t o me. I do no t rem e m be r w h e n t h is ha d sta rt ed exact l y, but I no t i ced t he y be c am e m o re a nd more s i l ent as I g rew up, as I l o s t m y y o u t h . An d they ha ve never t al ked t o me ag ai n s in c e . To re aliz e a nd a d m i t w hat happened t o me w as qu it e s ad. I re ally wa nted t o s ee t he w o rl d w here t hey liv e d. E v e n t u ally, I ha ve invent ed a w ay t o s ee t hei r w o rld ag ain w it h m y ca mer a . I named t hi s w ay, ‘A s I s l ept , I le f t m y c am e ra over there.’
www.j u n eko rea.co m
June Korea
‘As I slept, I left my camera over there’
I dec i de d t o f ur ther d evel o p my i nvent i o n as i nves t i g at i n g t h e po s s ibilit ie s o f t h e do lls ’ lif e th an j u s t b eing a n ob ser v er. I s t art ed i nt er veni ng w i t h t h e ir liv e s by in v it in g t h e m in t o t h e w orl d w h e r e I live in. I w o ul d bri ng t hem w hat I t hi nk t h e y w o u ld w an t t o play w it h an d som e t i m e s I would ta ke them o ut s i de t o break t he bo un dar y be t w e e n t h e ir re alit y an d o u rs , an d pri o r t o a ll other s, I al w ay s t el l t hem my s t o ri es an d f e e lin g s as if t h e y are m y c lo s e
fr ie n ds w h i le I a m d ocument i ng t hei r narrat i ve. They ar e lik e s po n g e s t h at abs o rb w h at I th in k , a n d they a r e like mirro rs t hat refl ect w ho I am. No w t h e y be c am e as re pre s e n t at io n s of m y e m o t ion a nd my b o dy o f w o rk. They are no t j us t re c re at io n s o f t h e h u m an c h arac t e r but t h e y e xist a s myself in t he pho t o g raphs I pro duce. I be lie v e , t h e y are s t ill bre at h in g in th e i r w o rl d a s our old memo r y remembers . We, w ho l o st o u r y o u t h , ju s t do n o t re m e m be r
“The world not fit con into the f a 35mm
d just does nveniently format of camera� W. Eugene Smith (1918) , Photographer
De-ShanShui / Baoyang Chen I come from a two-generation artist family. My late grandfather was a printmaker and my father has dedicated to the Shan Shui painting. Setting foot in the U.S. in 2011 distanced me from the blanketing experience of Chinese culture, and gave me the opportunity to deal with my Chinese heritage with a more globally integrated mindset and in a project based upon abstraction and reconstruction. My diasporic experiences made China seem at quite a distance and seemingly unrelated to my immediate Western experience. I want to think in terms of both cultures, it was my digital training that more immediately helped to pave the way to a more global perspective because, despite the differences in software and programming, there is a universalizing base to the digital flow. .
www.baoyangchen.com
In this project, De-ShanShui, I want to look through the lens of the present at the past, and in particular at the Chinese painterly tradition of imitation (Transmission by Copying). Imitation and working with traditional methodology are the core concepts of Shan Shui paintings. I feed a batch of 104 images of my father’s well-regarded paintings into my algorithms, and repeated this process with different parameters, which provided me with thousands of visuals to work with and choose from. The foundation of above process is my set of three self-coded algorithms that reconfigure
the raw information in the original Shan Shui paintings. I convert the brushwork to create new arrangements of pixels and color information based upon the original earlier Shan Shui paintings. My working tools are my algorithms, which use computational formulae to reconstruct the original tableaux in order to spawn new ones. My digital methodologies provide me working techniques of universalism, repetition, randomness and effortless-action. .
The Recondite / Grant Gill Consoled by these images, I move past the mundane, physical world. In doing so, ethereal landscapes, tenuous happenings, and visual metaphors are created, enforcing the idea that reality is not linear. This series of phenomena considers concepts of the magical and perceptual, and feeds into my questions on existence. These events are the recondite -- not of ordinary understanding. Each image is an attempt at answering the purposed questions of permanence, in which I find to be far greater than myself. I feel these answers will never fully surface. Of my own certainty, these phenomena give reason, and find content in illusion.
www.g ran tg i l l .co m
Monolith / Taner Besen “They will form the reflection of power in the dead world, Monolith. When they become a single piece, masses will bend their knees in front of them. The sea will knuckle down.� (Codex Monolith , Jetur. 1.3-5)
www.carg o co l l ecti ve.co m / tan e rb e se n
Codex Monolith is the saga of a group of exiles that come back to the site of their repression to develop a ritual that would heal their trauma. My work too focuses on systems of power, and the methods that power uses to communicate with the individual. My subject matter is usually based on real political and social situations. I apply various methods of abstraction to these conditions, in the hope of unraveling the connections between the centers of power and their subjects.
After writing a text, I fragmented it and designed corresponding visuals. I was influenced by August Sander’s series “Citizens of the Twentieth Centaury” in which he created a portrait inventory of German people during the Weimar Republic. I wanted to apply a similar visual approach to my fictive group of exiles and ended up with two different compositional choices: portrayal within a landscape, and isolated, almost scientific depictions.
On the other side of the ocean, far to the east, there is a land where vast mountains cast their shadows on the desert. Winds coming from the mountains forged Bargag, hammering the sands a hundred times. When he opened his eyes, he was terrified by the vision of his creators. With an urge to escape, he rode the same winds that made him, until he came to our lands. Bargag will have to face his fears, as he is a chosen of Monolith. When the time comes, he will have to step inside en masse merged by his siblings. Codex Monolith , 4.12-19
He was swallowed by the white gargantuan of the ocean. There, in the belly of the beast began his solitude. He stared into the blinding darkness and started thinking. It was like pulling a rope with no end, an act with no purpose. But he continued thinking without ever questioning why. When the beast died and his physical imprisonment was no more, he was already bound to the belly by the idea he followed. Meditating the same stream of thought, he aimlessly wanders the horizon to this day.
Codex Monolith , 3.6-11
The Family
Fossiles are obtained by digging. They are preserved remains or traces from the past discovered and undiscovered.
{
Alijaz Celarc- I treasure this photo as one of my uncle’s masterpieces, though he said it’s an unfortunate image. My uncle always said that this image is a failed one, because he was always trying to make technically perfect images. Out of all the box of his images I believe this one is the most fortunate one. It’s atmosphere is dark and gloomy. The image was taken during a family’s seaside vacation in Yugoslavia.
{
A River Made of Time and Memory / Susan Keiser Between dark and l i g ht , s l eep and w ak e f u ln e s s , one’s percept i o n o f t he w o rl d i s t ran s f o rm e d. Time l o s es i t s meas ure, and i t be c o m e s dif f ic u lt to d is t i ng ui s h real i t y fro m dreams an d m e m o rie s . W hen ro us ed, t he mi nd’s ey e i s pow e rf u l, c apable of a nimat i ng t he mo s t co mmo npl ac e o bje c t s w it h the he art ’s deepes t l o ng i ng s and fears . M y o n g o in g p r ojec t , A Ri v er Made o f Ti me and Me m o r y, u s e s a f a mily o f v i nt ag e do l l s t o capt ure t he s e m y s t e rio u s , of ten di s t urbi ng refl ect i o ns t hat can c o m e w it h o u t wa r nin g , day o r ni g ht . “In Memo r y ’s D re am ” is a ser ies o f po rt rai t s fro m t hat pro j ect .
www.s u s an kei s erph o to g raph y.c om
“S ome time s a t evening the r e ’ s a fa ce th at s e e s us f r om the d e e ps of a mi r r or. Art mus t b e tha t s or t of mi r r or, dis clos ing to each of us hi s fa ce .” ( Jo rg e Luis Bo rg es)
The faces i n my pho t o g raph s be lo n g t o f o u ri nch, mas s -pro duced do lls , w o rn an d t w is t e d i nt o uni que bei ng s by an o n y m o u s h an ds o v e r s ix decades . I have mul t i ple c o pie s o f e ac h f am ily member, and al l hav e s t o rie s t o t e ll, s e c re t s t o expo s e, emo t i o nal t rut hs t o re v e al. M y lif e h is t o r y fl i ckers t hro ug h my ph o t o g raph s — as it m u s t — bu t i t i s j us t o ne o f many. M e an in g an d n arrat iv e are no t i l l us t rat ed, but creat e d t h ro u g h t h e in t e rac t io n o f t he i mag e and t he v i e w e r. Li ke t he ephemeral v is io n s t h at in s pire d t h e m , my i mag es are made e n t ire ly in t h e m o m e n t , in camera, and i n avai l able lig h t . In c o rpo rat in g w h at nat ural el ement s are at h an d h e lps g iv e lif e t o w hat are es s ent i al l y b it s o f plas t ic an d g ro u n ds my met apho ri cal w o rl d in bio lo g ic al re alit y. Fre s h v i s i o ns appear, i mag es ag g re g at e in t o c h apt e rs , and t he ri ver fl o w s o n.
Encased / Hanna Bradbury When I mo ved fro m a s mal l t o w n n e s t le d in t h e mou nt ai ns o f C o l o rado t o New Yo rk C it y, I didn ’t exp e ri ence t he cul t ure s ho ck mo s t t h o u g h t I wo ul d, but i ns t ead experi enced a s h if t in m y r ela ti o ns hi p t o nat ure I come fro m a pl ace w here t he lan ds c ape is va st and i ns t ead o f l o o ki ng at a h o riz o n f u ll o f b uildi ng s , I s aw o nes w i t h mo unt a in s an d o pe n sky. A ft er l i vi ng here fo r a w hi l e I n o t ic e d t h at in the ci t y, nat ure i s s o met i cul o usly plac e d an d com pl et el y co nt ai ned, l i v i ng i ns i de c o n c re t e an d steel . It has beco me a l uxur y, es pe c ially in larg e cities w here w e o ft en pay t o acces s it .
www.h an n abradbu ry.co m
I f ir st expl o red t hes e i deas by mak in g a v e n din g ma ch i ne w here peo pl e co ul d, fo r 5 0 c e n t s , p ur c has e a cl ear caps ul e co nt a in in g a lit t le p iece o f nat ure t hat I had pers o nal ly c o lle c t e d. F ea thers became a part o f t hes e lit t le t re as u re s I was fi ndi ng and g at heri ng . When I w o u ld pu t the feat hers i nt o t he v endi ng mach in e c aps u le s , I was s t ruck by t he co mpl et e i nfl e x ibilit y o f t h e p la sti c and t he w ay t hey bent and c u r v e d t h e ir f r a gi l e s pi nes t o cat er t o t hat s hape. Whe n ho l di ng o ne o f t hes e feat hers , it s be au t y comes t hro ug h i n i t s del i cat e l i g ht ne s s an d qu ie t movement . Wi t h t hes e i mag es , t he m o v e m e n t is r estrai ned, t here i s a w ei g ht t o t h e m , an d t h e ir b ea u t y i s no w fo rever pres er ved t o o n ly s t u dy witho ut t o uchi ng .
Ill u s t r a t i o n : R a c h e l i T za iri
/
Pho t o gra p h : Yoav Fr ied land er , Th e A f ter math , 2
2OO3
Still Life / Guy Tzaraf These pho t o s s ho w i co ni c s ymbo l s, pre s e n t e d as a n a r c hi v al co l l ect i o n. The obj ect s hav e beco me w o rn - t h e ir o rig in al f unction has beco me ei t her s hi ft e d o r be c o m e ir r elevant . My w o rk expl o res t he w ay in w h ic h conte mpo rar y v i s ual cul t ure i nt erpe rat e s im ag e s , while permeat i ng even t he s mal l es t o f o bje c t s . I ha ve cho s en o bj ect s w hi ch s er v e a part ic u lar concept o r i deo l o g y, but w hi ch hav e lo s t t h e ir luster. The w o rk hi g hl i g ht s t he i ne v it able f u t ilit y of gl o ri fy i ng t hes e o bj ect s . C u lt u ral c h an g e s d isa ss o ci at e t hem fro m t hei r o ri g i n al s ig n if ic an c e , r end e ri ng t hem as deco rat i ve memo r abilia. Their current di s pl ay s eeks t o i mbu e t h e m w it h p ower, w hi l e expo s i ng t hei r decay www.g u ytzaraf .co m
151
Diorama / Ido Abramsohn
www.i do abram s o h n .co m
Welcome to Lebanon #1
Middle East Street Corner
Israeli Assault Team #1
Diorama | by Ido Abramsohn Models o f I sr a e l i so l d i e rs and Pal es t i ni an
The
in dividu al
ins ur gen t s a n d c i v i l i a n s were p ho t o g rap hed
rep rese n ts
a nd enl a r g e d t o h u m a n si ze. The new s cal e
eng age d in th e c on flic t. T h is re pre se n tation
of the m o d e l s c a s t s t h e o ri g i nal meani ng
i s t ran slate d in to a mode l th at re fe rs to
of the i m a g e s i n d o u b t , and enab l es us t o
act ual e ve n ts an d draws on th e c olle c tive
s cr utini z e t h e st e r e o t y p i c al p ercep t i o n o f t he
p o o l of image r y fou n d in th e me dia an d
ima ge o f t h e “ g o o d ” a n d “b ad ” s o l d i er, as
in
w ell a s t o e x a m i n e l o c a l s t ereo t yp es o f t he
aug me n t th e mome n t of life an d de ath as
I s r a eli a s o p p o se d t o t h e Pal es t i ni an.
wel l as c re ate symbolic an d h e avily c h arge d
mass
a
soldie r se c tor
c u ltu re .
The
an d of
c ivilian
th e
froze n
type
popu lation
move me n ts
i mag er y. The mo d e l s a r e m a d e of p l as t i c res i n and us ed f o r d i o r a m a m o d e l i ng . Creat ed mai nl y by w es t e r n m a n u f a c t u r e r s , t he Is rael i s o l d i ers a r e po r t r a y e d a s a l e g i t i m at e fo rce, whi l e t he Pa les tin i a n so l d i e r s a r e mo s t l y p o rt rayed as outla w s.
doubt...”
scrutinize the stereotypical perception of the image of “go o d” and “bad” Soldiers” The ch a r a c t e r o f t h e c o nfl i ct , whi ch t akes pla ce i n a n u r b a n e n vi ro nment , i nvi t es a cha r a ct e r i z e
of the
types Arab
t hat
s up p o s ed l y
p o p ul at i o n,
them wo m e n a n d c h i l d r e n .
models casts the original meaning of the images in
“...enabels us to
r epr es e n t a t i o n
“The new scale of the
amo ng
Dromedar y
Israeli Concrete Roadblock Set
IDF Tank Crew Set #1, #2
IDF Tank Crew Set #3
Insurgent Guerrilla Set #1
Interview
|
Q ’ s D a n a S t i r l i ng / A’ s I d o Ab r a m s o h n What is the models scale and size in real life?
for me it is more about how the conflict is represented and
The scale of the model is 1:35, this means that the actual
perceived out side of Israel and the occupied territories.
figures are about 2 inch (5cm) high. The photographs are
In other words, it is about how other people think about
enlarged to 57 inch (145cm) high prints.
me and my part of the world.
Could you tell us about the process of creating these
Way did you choose to use a ver y pale color palette? it
models?
s e e m s t o s t a n d i n c o n t r a s t t o t h e s u b j e c t m a t t e r.
The models are mass produced and and sold as a hobby
When conceptualizing the series, I wanted the work to
item for people who like to build scale models and
be focused on the objects themselves, the images that
dioramas. There is a huge verity of models of different
t h e y c o n v e y, t h e s m a l l d e t a i l s , t h e m a t e r i a l s t h a t t h e y a r e
a r m i e s f r o m d i f f e r e n t t i m e s i n h i s t o r y. I c h o s e t o i n c l u d e
made of, etc. I striped off any element that can distract
only models that are representations of the Israeli-
t h e v i e w e r. T h e r e f o r e , t h e c o l o r s c h e m e i s d e r i v e d f r o m
Palestinian conflict. The question of the origin of the
the materials used to produce the models, mostly plastic
image that the models are based on is, for me, one of the
r e s i n , b u t a l s o m e t a l a n d p l a s t e r. A d d i t i o n a l l y, I u s e d a
most interesting aspects of dealing with these models. I
neutral background in order to isolate the object, which
assume that the designers based the models on imagery
is a common practice in typological photography and
form mass media: newspapers, television, etc. In some
c o m m e r c i a l p a c k - s h o t p h o t o g r a p h y.
sense these are generic representations that are scaled
What do you think a viewer that is not a part of the Israeli
down and are striped to the bear minimum features that
conflict sees in your images? Do you think you portray
can still portray the specific type of figure.
the conflict itself or its “icons”?
What makes the perfect miniature model?
C l e a r l y, t h e i m a g e s i n c l u d e d i n t h e s e r i e s d o n o t p o r t r a y
I looked for models that had distinctive features that
t h e c o n f l i c t i t s e l f . R a t h e r, t h e y e x e m p l i f y a W e s t e r n
would portray the type of imagery I was interested in.
representation of the conflict. This is why I think that
Other then that, I needed models that were very detailed.
viewers that are not a part of the conflict may be able to
This was important because I enlarged them to almost 30
relate to this project as consumers of images. The series
times their original size.
allows the viewer to examine the portrayal of the conflict
are any of these models a part of any real experience you
as a case study for representations in the mass media.
yourself had encounter?
Could you tell us about the images titled “Welcome to
I first became interested in scale models after I found out
Lebanon 1-2” ? What is the story behind these images
a b o u t t h e m o d e l s o f t h e I D F t a c k c r e w. I s e r v e d a s a t a n k
a n d e s p e c i a l l y, w h a t i s b e h i n d i t s t i t l e ?
d r i v e r i n t h e I s r a e l i m i l i t a r y, a n d I w a s i n t e r e s t e d i n h o w
The names of the pieces in the series are the names
these figures represent a tank crew that is specifically
that the manufacturers gave the models. While most of
Israeli.
incorporate
the names are descriptions of the character type that is
autobiographical details in to the series because I wanted
being portrayed, in “Welcome to Lebanon” both the model
it deal with a general experience rather then personal.
and its name convey a much move elaborate narrative.
What can a miniature capture that a real persons portrait
The Israeli soldiers are portrayed in a heroic posture;
or landscape photography can’t, in your opinion?
one soldier is carrying his wounded fellow soldier on his
I think that the power of using miniature models stems from
shoulders. The other image portrays a dead insurgent.
the fact that they are abstractions. Thus, the designers
To g e t h e r, t h e s e i m a g e s c a p t u r e t h e d i c h o t o m o u s n a r r a t i v e
use exaggerated features that exemplify stereotypes in
that emerges throughout the series. This narrative makes
order to portray a specific type of characters.
a distinction between ‘good’ and ‘bad’, heroes and villain,
Which aspect of the political life of Israel are you trying
v i c t i m s a n d v i c t i m i z e r. I t r e d u c e s a v e r y c o m p l e x i s s u e i n
to capture?
to stereotypes.
Other
then
that,
I
tried
not
to
Obviously this series is dealing with political issues. But
Arab Street, Old Woman
Israeli Assault Team #2
Welcome to Lebanon #2
#Memorabilia
# Me mo r a b i li a
Infant Photography Gives the Painter an Additional Brush, about 1856, Albumen silver
/ O sca r R ejlander Os c a r
Re j l a nd e r ’s
photograph
could
be
re ad
as
a
me ta phor of his own care e r. The ad d ition al “brush” or im a g e -m a k ing tool pr ov id e d by photography to pai nte rs wa s evid e nt fr om the be gi n n i n gs of the me d ium . Many e a rly
pr a c titione r s
p a inting,
as
d id
arrive d
Re j land e r.
at
photography
Photograph s
we re
from ofte n
thou g ht of a nd u s e d as ske tch i n g tools for pai nte rs. A lthou g h d e a th
photog r a phs
of
fr e que ntly
p a inting a s s u me
neve r
as
m an age d
i n iti ally
t he
to
si gn al
the
they
d id
d raw i n g
h ad
pre d icte d ,
function
th at
tr a d itiona l ly he ld in r elation to pai nti n g. Comp os itiona l ly,
this
is
an
unusual
photograph .
Re j l a nd e r e mploy s a n arrative d ev ice from pai nti n g: the u s e of f ig u r e s , or parts of fi gure s, as alle gorical r e pr e s e nta tions r e pr e s e nts
the
for infa nt
id e as.
A
me d ium
ve ry of
youn g
photography.
ch i ld The
Pa inte r a pp e a r s only a s a h and exte nd i n g i nto the frame a t the upp e r le f t, a lthough the trad ition al arts are a l s o r e pr e s e nte d by the sculpture re prod uction i n the lowe r le f t c or ne r. T he In fant Photography, id e nti f ie d by the c a me r a on whic h the ch i ld supports h i m se lf, face s away fr om the c a me r a, h i s fe ature s totally obscure d . T he m ir r or b e hind the ch i ld give s a cle ar re fle ction of Re j l a nd e r a t his c a me ra, m aki n g th i s i m age . (Text : G et ty Mus eum)
“...the same wa y a pa inter go es if he w ishes to pa int, a photogra pher must go if he w ishes to make a c omposition photogra ph. The two go together....”
< < T he Im a g e (a nd m a ny mor e) c a n be d ow n lo a d e d for fr e e a t t he G etty Mu s e u m Ar c h ive > >
E d i t ed b y Dana Stir ling & Yoav Fr ied l 채 nde r. Ma n y Thanks to David Levintha l & Th e Geor ge Eastm an Hou s e