Editors Dana Stirling Yoav Friedlander Contributing Artists Lynne Cohen Rocio Graham Jordanna Kalman Elisabeth Hogeman Aline Smithson Maureen Drennan Gerasimos Platanas Aaron Blum Naomi Harris Adrian Skenderovic
Contributing Writer Kelsey Sucena Illustration @warholslandfill Special Thank You Andrew Lugg Kristin Bjornerud Peter J. Cohen Yael Eban Cover Artist Lynne Cohen Back Cover Artist Naomi Harris Contact Us floatzine@gmail.com
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 and artists. All Rights Reseved.
Float v. float¡ed, float¡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;
Untitled (Mirror) 2013 Chromog enic Print 132 x 156 c m
Lynne Cohen www.lynne-cohen.com
Untitled (Astrotur f ) 2007 Chromog enic Print 132 x 156 c m
A LETTER NEVER SENT
/ Te x t b y Yo a v F r i e d l a n d e r
This is the thank you letter I never had a chance to write
to show Lynne my work. James Hyman himself emailed
to one photographer who influenced my work so deeply and
me back letting me know he saw my urgent request and
unlocked hidden rooms in my perception. Our world lost
forwarded my email to Lynne. She didn’t let the fire die and
Lynne Cohen far too early.
responded to my email. I was in total shock and with great anxiety I sent her pictures of my work. Her response to them
I remember the first time I saw Lynne’s work. We were
is still the wind in my sails today.
assigned to pick a photography book from our college library and review the book in front of the class. My friend
When someone you truly admire is at hand, when they
had picked Lynne’s book ‘Occupied Territory’ [1987] and it
respond to selfish youth (me in this case) hopes and dreams
was that truly magical moment when a photography book
carry on living.
opens and it feels as if a whole world opens up to you. My perception at that moment was altered permanently.
I specially want to thank Lynne for coining the term
Something unlocked in my understanding of my surrounding
“Deceptively Quiet” describing her works. This term so
environment.
It was her images of peculiar interiors with
precisely describes a certain photographic strategy and
such calmness that allowed them to be explored slowly,
character of visual work in a category of their own. It’s the
while the brain’s immediate reaction is ‘what the hell is this
uncanny photographic discovery waiting to explode but
place, and where did she find it?!’. These images I saw were
held back by the composition. Like a silent scream. Most of
an immediate lesson on seeing and showing.
Lynne’s work falls into this category of a reality we humans fabricated with intention and ended up creating something
In
my
third
year
of
undergraduate
studies
I
started
so precisely odd. As she strategically photographed them
volunteering at the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo. I photographed
they are only deceptively quiet, but in the viewers’ mind
for the zoo and in return I had gained full access to the
it unfolds rapidly with many meanings, revelations and
zoo’s restricted areas. I roamed the chambers, clinics, and
question marks.
night cages for hours with my large format camera, and I had Lynne on my mind. I was thinking to myself if that was
I want to thank Lynne for teaching us the variety possible
how she felt while making a photographic discovery. Then
in a typological work. Although it might appear as if the
facing with the challenge of mediating a physical place,
work is of the kind that carries an idea through a typological
often such with restricted access, through a photograph.
consistency her work actually contains a visual universe.
Lynne’s work was the kind you set as the highest standard
It resembles more a study of habitats than a variety of
you aspire to achieve. Even though I didn’t know her
water towers. The pictures are windows into wonderlands.
personally back then I photographed as if not wanting
They share a similar standpoint but uncover an entire new
to disappoint her, making the most of my time in the odd
world to explore each time. If she claimed on her work it
fabricated spaces of the zoo.
was deceptively quiet I will say it is also deceptively similar. They all do share 3 walls a floor and a ceiling but beyond
Excited and naive student who just wrapped up a what
that the versatility of compositions seem endless in their
seemed like a body of works I reached out for Lynne. I
uniqueness. The subject represents itself from within the
emailed directly James Hyman Gallery in London (who
peculiar reality it exists in.
represented Lynne) with the rude spirit of a novice, and the chutzpah of an Israeli, who had nothing to lose. I asked
Thank you Lynne.
Spa ( White B ed ) 1993 G elatin silver print 111 x 129 c m
Classroom in a Fly ing Sc hool c .1980 20.32 x 25.4 c m G elatin silver print
Untitled (Table and Chair) 2008 Chromog enic Print 100 x 120 c m
Men’s Club 1977/78 G elatin silver print 19.3 x 24.5 c m
Showroom 1980 G elatin silver print 110 x 128.4 c m
Untitled (Peeling Water fall) 2008 Chromog enic Print 130 x 150 c m
Corporate O ffic e c .1976 G elatin Silver Print 19.1 x 24.1 c m
Untitled (Submarines) 2007 Chromog enic Print 130 x 150 c m
Laborator y 1993 Chrom og en ic P r in t 111 x 1 2 9 c m cm
Stair well in a Sc ienc e B uild ing 1982 G elatin silver print 19.0 5 x 24.13 c m
All Steel O ffic e Furniture Supply 1978 G elatin silver print 19.3 x 24.5 c m
Unti tl e d ( La b ora tor y ) 2004 Chrom og en ic P r in t 130 x 1 5 0 c m
Spa 2003 Chro mo geni c Pri nt 101. 6 x 127 cm
Untitled (Havana) 2008 Chromog enic Print 130 x 150 c m
O ffic e and Showroom 1980 19.1 x 24.4 c m G elatin silver print
Untitled ( Wire) 2007 Chromog enic Print, 100 x 120 c m
Untitled (Laborator y ) 2012 Chromog enic Print 132 x 156 c m
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WHEN I THINK | Rocio Graham OF HOME I h ave al way s b e en ve r y c o n n e c t e d to t he la nd . Co ming f ro m a M e x i c an f am i l y t h at g ro ws f o o d a nd flo wers (s o me o f m y u n c l e s g ro w ve g e t ab l e s f o r e x p o r t atio n to the USA a n d C an a d a ) i t i s o n l y n at u ral t h at I f i n d co mfo r t wo rking w it h t h e l a n d i n m y a r t p rac t i c e . It c o n n ects me to ho me a n d d e f i n e s m y i d e n t i t y. In s p i re d by a r tis ts like Mo net, G e o rg i a O ’Ke e f fe , J an D e He e m , an d o t h er D utch s till life m a st e r s ; t h e g a rd e n i s m y m u s e . My wo r k s t ar t s t h e m o m e n t I p l an t a s e e d a nd co ntinues a s I n u r t u re i t to t h e s t ag es o f m at u r i t y, flo wering, a nd dec ay wh e n i t b e c o m e s s o i l f o r f u t u re p l a nts . I t’s a la bo ur in t e n s i ve p ro c e s s t h a t a l l o ws m e to e x p l o re the la nd s ca pe a s a p h y s i c a l a n d m y s t i c a l s p a c e wh e re time a nd na ture b e c o m e m y c re a t i ve a l l i e s .
w w w.ro c io g rah amstu d io .c om
I u se o rg an i c m a t e r i a l s t h a t are m et h od ica lly pla nned , n u r s e d , an d h ar ve s t e d a c c o rd i n g t h e i r a es thetic qua lities f o r la t e r u s e i n m y c o m p o s i t i o n s ; s i m i l a r to ho w a pa inter u s e s p i g m e n t s to c re a t e wo r k . Fro m s e ed to h a r ve s t to t h e c re a t i o n o f a s till life, a yea r c a n pas s . Th i s a l l o ws m e to a t t u n e to na ture’s cycles . I h ave f o u n d m a n y p ara l l e l s b e t we e n t h e l and s ca pe a nd my in n er g a rd e n ; an i n n er l a n d s c ap e t h at s h i fts a nd ebbs with t h e se a s o n s . As a t rau m a s u r v i vo r I k n o w t h at b o u t s o f PTSD d is co nnect m e f ro m m y b o d y, re s u l t i n g i n m e l o o king fo r way s to rec o nn e c t wi t h i t . Fo r m e , l an d ar t a n d i t s l a b o u r i n t en s i ve a s pects a llo w me to gro u n d m y b o d y an d ac c e s s t h e l an d s c ape in a my s tica l w ay. Wo r k i n g wi t h t h e l a n d s c ap e h as a l l o wed me to piece dif fe re n t a s p e c t s o f m y i d e n t i t y a s a n immigra nt a nd s u r v ivo r. It h a s a l l o we d m e to re eva l u a t e the co ncept o f h o m e wi t h i n a n ew l a n d b u t a l s o wi t h i n m ys elf.
LITTLE | Jordanna Kalman ROMANCES W h en c o n s i d e re d as an o b j e c t t h e p ho to gra ph ex is ts p h ys ic al l y i n t h e wo r l d , i t b e l o n g s to s o m e o ne; it gets held , it h a s we i g h t , va l u e . I’ve b e e n i n t ere s t e d i n this co ncept fo r so m e t i m e . I t w a s t h i s i n t e re s t p l u s t h e re c u r re n t u s e o f my ima ges o n lin e wi t h o u t m y p e r m i s s i o n t h a t m o t i vated the crea tio n o f t h e s e r i e s L i t t l e R o m an c e s . I h ave a l way s m a d e ve r y p e r s o n al work, my current e m o t i o n a l s t at e an d i n t e res t s g e t t ra n s l ated d irectly into m y im a g e s . M o s t al l t h e s e i m a g e s re f l ect ques tio ns a nd a n xiet i e s ab o u t b e i n g a wo m an , n av i g a ting wha t tha t m ea ns ; wh a t i s e x p e c t e d o f m e a s a d au g hter, mo ther, wife o r love r ve r s u s wh a t I’m c ap ab l e o f .
w w w.rab bit an d sparro w.c om
I n s h ar i n g m y wo r k o n l i n e , s o m e t i m e s i t is trea ted with re sp e c t , b u t m o re o f t e n n o t . No t b e i n g a s ked fo r its us e, a n d/ o r n o t b e i n g c re d i t e d ; i t ’s u p s e t t i n g being trea ted tha t w ay e s p e c i al l y wi t h s u c h p e r s o n al i m ag e s . I n L it t l e R o m a n c e s I p h o to g rap h p r i n t s o f my pho to gra phs a n d t h ey b e c o m e a p h y s i c a l o b j e c t ; m y object. I s urro und t h e m wi t h e l e m e n t s f ro m m y g ard e n o r o ther pers o na l it e m s n o t to evo ke n o s t a l g i a o r s e n t i menta lity but to deep en m y p h y s i c a l c o n n e c t i o n / c l a i m to t hes e ima ges a nd dis t a nc e t h e m f ro m t h e v i e we r. T h e o b j e c t -i m ag e b e c o m es o b s c u re d , re p urpo s ed , d iver ted , so t h a t i t s o r i g i n a l i n t e n t re m ai n s s afe f ro m viewing a nd a t t h e sam e t i m e i t e x p l o re s a n e w n ar ra t i ve .
“
“ - Dorothea Lange
TEMPORARY | Elisabeth Hogeman ARRANGEMENT Tem po ra r y
Ar ran g em e n t
consists
of
a
s eries
of
p ro p o s i t i o n al d o m e s t i c s p a c e s . E a c h t a blea u is crea ted t h ro ug h a p ro c e s s o f p h o to g rap h i n g p i c t ures s ta cked o n to p of p i c t u re s , m ov i n g b ac k an d f o r t h b e tween the s tud io ( w it h s u n , d u s t , s h ad o ws ) an d t h e d i g i ta l ca nva s (fla t, se le c t ab l e , s c a l a b l e ) . U sin g s o u rc e m a t e r i a l c u l l e d f ro m h o m e ca ta lo gues a nd desig n m ag a z i n e s , a n d i n c o r p o ra t i n g s t a ged s till lives , m o dul a r u n i t s a re c o n t i n u o u s l y re c o n f i g u red to inves tiga te t h e f o r m a l an d p s yc h o l o g i c al p o s s i b i l i t i es o f a rra ngement.
w w w.elisabet h h o g eman .c om
I a m i n t e re s t e d i n t h e g e n re o f s t i l l l i fe a nd co nventio ns o f s t ag i n g d o m e s t i c i t y. Tem p o ra r y Ar rangement refers to t h e t e m p o ra r y n at u re o f a s p ac e c re a ted s o tha t it c a n be re n d e re d , t ra n s p o r t e d , an d c o n s u med . Within this c o n ve n t i o n u t i l i t a r i a n o b j e c t s are s t r i p p ed o f their utility and
selected
for
their
c ap ac i t y
to
embo d y
plea s ure,
f a n t a s y, m e m o r y, o r c o m f o r t . I w o rk wi t h l ayere d i m ag e r y t h at i s fla t a nd illus o r y, e m p has i z i n g t h e g e o m e t r y t h at e m erg e s fro m the pro ces s of
frag m e n t i n g ,
p h o to g ra p h i c
e n l a rg i n g ,
material.
re p r i n t i n g ,
Th es e
a nd
ab s t rac tio ns
repea ting provid e
a
b a c kd ro p o r s c a f f o l d i n g f o r m o re l eg i b l e d o mes tic s cenes . T h e re s u l t i n g c o m b i n at i o n s h i f t s b e t we en phy s ica l a nd v ir t u a l s p ac e , wh i c h s e em s re l eva n t as we increa s ingly live t h ro ug h i m a g e s .
As a photographer, visual anthropologist, and mother, I am very interested in artifacts designed for children that define who we are and who we should be. Armed with an adult perspective, I look at what has been presented to children as simply afternoon activities. These playthings often carry the suggestion of something more, through undertones of facial expression and dress, societal roles, idealist perspectives, and most importantly the exclusion of diversity in race and gender. Paper dolls and Barbie dolls informed my own childhood about fashion, femininity, status, and elegance. Dolls and doll dress changed in my daughter’s generation, bringing less sophistication and more sexuality to the experience, as little girls were emulating Britney Spears, rather than Jacqueline Kennedy and Audrey Hepburn. But as these photographs reflect, sexuality was always in the picture, no matter the decade. By examining paper dolls, especially those from the 1940’s-1970’s, I have discovered the subtext of characterizing ourselves through perfectionist role models and observed a generic sameness to what was and is offered up to our children for self- definition. For the photographs in Child’s Play, I have created new realities, new pairings, explored the sexual nature of the dolls, and had fun with time worn clichés. Investigating these templates for adulthood has made me acutely aware of how narrow the ideals of family and adulthood were, leaving no room for the celebration of race or alternative choices. / www.alinesmithson.com
ISLAND | Maureen Drennan KINGDOM T h ro ug h m y p h o to g rap h s I s e e k o u t t h e vulnera bility a nd f a n t a s y o f l i v i n g i n a s m a l l i s l a n d c o m m u nity s een thro ugh t h e eye s o f t h e yo u n g wo m e n an d g i r l s wh o res id e there. T h e co m m u n i t y i s B ro ad C h a n n e l , Q u e e n s a nd it’s a lifes ty le c o n di t i o n e d by wat e r, v u l n e rab l e to s to r m s, tid es , cha nging w ea t he r, a n d ye t , i n c l o s e p rox i m i t y to o ne o f the la rges t u r b a n c e n t e r s , Ne w Yo r k C i t y. B ro ad C h a nnel is a multige n e rat i o n a l , m o s t l y b l u e -c o l l ar n e i g h b o r ho o d with a rich h isto r y o f b e i n g re s i s t a n t to c h a n g e . Th e re is this end uring f a n t a s y o f l i v i n g n e ar t h e wa t e r t h a t i s i n d irect o ppo s itio n to t h e re a l i t y. T h e re s i d e n t s l ove l i v i n g by t h e wa t e r, b ut there ex is ts a delic at e b al a n c e b et we e n t h e c o m m u n i t y a nd the na tura l e n v iro n m e n t . As t h e e f fe c t s o f c l i m a t e c ha nge s ha ke this b a la n c e , t h e c o m m u n i t y h a s b ee n c o n f ro n ted with the ha rs h re a lity t h at t h ei r h o m e an d c o m m u n i t y m ay no t be a s s ecure a n d id e a l i s t i c as t h ey t h i n k i t to b e .
w w w.mau reen d ren n an .n e t
I b e g a n d o cumenting the co mmunity in 2012, s eve ra l mo nths befo re Hurrica ne Sa nd y imbued t h e p ro j e ct with unfo res een turmo il. Flo o d ing f ro m t h e s to rm d eva s ta ted the co mmunity ; m an y l o s t their ho mes a nd po s s es s io ns . T he ard u o u s
recover y
und ers co res
the
co nflict
o f l i v i n g clo s e to the wa ter, es pecia lly when l e av i n g , to them, is no t a n o ptio n. I a m p ar ticula rly d ra wn to the yo ung girls a nd wo m e n i n Bro a d Cha nnel beca us e, like their e n v i ro n m ent, they a re in a tra ns itio na l pla ce wi t h an uncer ta in future. T here is a s ubtle b o rd e r
between
d efia nce
a nd
vulnera bility.
Th e f ra gile s ta te between a d o les cence a nd ad u l t h o o d mirro rs the cha nging enviro nment t h a t i s a ffecting this is la nd co mmunity.
No Presence: On Flux & Photographic Time Te x t B y K e l s e y S u c e n a I m a g e s c o u r t e s y o f t h e N a t i o n a l Pa r k S e r v i c e
I used to practice Buddhist meditation. I tried
1/8000th of a second. Is this how we define
to count my breath in an attempt to break time
the present? In terms of fractions of a second
down into its absolute present. My present, it
wherein the smallest possible moment is most
seemed, was elusive. In many ways I am the
definitively the ‘here and now’? As of 2009 the
product of an anxious mind. I have lived most of
fastest camera, an experimental model that
my life in other places, but through Buddhism I
u s e s l a s e r s i n s t e a d o f a p h y s i c a l s h u t t e r, c a n
sought to find myself comfortably situated here
chop time up into parcels as small as 1/440
in ‘the present’.
trillionth of a second. So is that it? Is that the present?
I was also studying photography and inclined to explore the relationships between the two. Often
As it would seem with space, so it seems with
I reveled in the meditative potential of mindfully
time. What I mean is that the closer we get to
observing the world through a camera. I also
it, the further it would seem find ourselves from
paid attention to the way that shutters seem
discerning an absolute present. Even at 1/440
to break apart time. At 1/1000th of a second a
trillionth of a second, it is possible to imagine
Graphlex camera once seemed about as close
a single photograph as consisting of a near
as anything to capturing ‘the present’. But there
infinite series of moments which themselves
a r e h o l e s i n t h e l o g i c o f ‘ p r e s e n c e’ w h i c h f a s t
may be infinitely divided. The only limitations on
shutter speeds begin to reveal.
this seem to be technological and spatial (how fast can light travel through a lens?). These are
I moved from Buddhism to explore a wider
not the limits of time itself. So then what other
philosophical discourse around the nature of
models of time might we consider and how do
time. First, there is the traditional model I most
photographs come into play?
often use. Within this model, time is understood in spatial terms as it is mapped onto timelines
I mentioned Heraclitus in par t because he spent
in a linear fashion consisting of past, present
so much of his life considering time and space.
and future. This model works in part because
His concept of flux presents us with a more
it is pragmatic, ensuring we all get to our
complicated interpretation of the way time
t e n o’ c l o c k m e e t i n g s , o r r e m e m b e r h o w m u c h
works. Here, Hericlitus thinks of time (or more
time has passed between us and the death of
a c c u r a t e l y, o f h i s t o r y ) a s a f l o w i n g r i v e r.
Heraclitus. But what happens when we zoom in on this timeline? A question comes to mind that photography seems to complicate. Namely: Where exactly is the present?
“Just as the river where I step is not the same, and is, so I am as I am not”
A Graphlex Speed Graphic can capture images at 1/1000th of a second. This is fast enough
According to Herclitus, each time one revists
t o e l i m i n a t e m o s t s t a n d a r d m o t i o n b l u r. I m a g e s
history (the timeline) one discovers something
appear sharp, and figures appear suspended in
f l u i d , c h a n g i n g a n d a l w a y s e n t i r e l y n e w. W h a t w e
a kind of “present”. My digital camera, a Sony
call a river is actually a near infinite number of
a 7 I I , t a k e s t h i s f r a g m e n t a t i o n a s t e p f u r t h e r,
water molecules flowing. What we call ‘history’
clocking in at a maximum shutter speed of
i s , i n m u c h t h e s a m e w a y, a n e a r i n f i n i t e s e r i e s
of moments flowing. With his theory of flux we
t h e n i n e t e e n t h c e n t u r y, t h i n k e r s f r o m M a r x t o
can start to imagine time as a messier thing. It
Foucault have emphasized the role of narrative
flows back and for th in erratic ways. His idea of
in the construction of the past and future. Marx,
time may seem metaphysically confusing and
for example, constructs his own history as the
unverifiable, but consider photographs within
story of class struggle destined to culminate
t h a t f l o w o f t i m e . T h e v e r y e x i s t e n c e o f m e m o r y,
into his vision of an egalitarian revolution to
as in the existence of photographs, suggests a
come. They suggest that our understanding
backwards movement of time. Here we see the
of history is predicated on grand narratives,
lost houses of Fire Island. They are present in
stories we live with and live within.
the silver-salt of an old negative so that, in a w a y, t h e p a s t i s a l w a y s w i t h u s , h e r e a n d n o w. I t i s e m b e d d e d w i t h i n the photographic emulsion, as it is within our waning
Here, the photograph is not history so much as it is a construct of h i s t o r y, a b r i c k i n t h e m o r t a r o f t i m e . Ta k e , f o r e x a m p l e ,
m e m o r y.
the famous photograph of American Marines
This
is
important to
make
an point
exist
in
a
flag
over
Iwo Jima. It stands
because
photographs not
raising as
an
do
road
the
the
icon,
sign
a
within
narrative
of
past. Many would
h i s t o r y, a c t i n g a s
outright
irrefutable proof of
the a
deny
existence
past
and
of
American
future
in the Pacific theatre
a l t o g e t h e r. T h a t c l a p
of the second World
o f a s h u t t e r, i n w h i c h
W a r.
we imagine capturing the photograph
comes
Most
probably
‘present’, is not the moment a
triumph
into
existence. In reality this is just the
folks
less
are
familiar
with the first photograph taken of the same flag flying o n t h a t d a y. I t ’s a d e c e n t p h o t o , b u t
beginning of a process, as chemical magic works
it also fails to convey a proper sense of drama
to reveal the latent image. Once printed, the
a n d A m e r i c a n t e n a c i t y. A s s u c h , f o r a l l i n t e n t s
image is viewed, interpreted and reinterpreted
and purposes, this photograph has largely been
over time. Within this flux, photographs are not
edited out of the historical cannon. According
singular points plucked from the timeline, but
to this kind of narrative model, time consists of
complex processes of chemistry and cognition
an infinite series of moments which, like a well
which are forever in flux themselves. They carry
edited photobook, are pulled into and out of
us forward and backwards as we see fit.
a larger story based more on their usefulness within the present, than on their truthfulness to
Hericlitus’ model of time was eventually usurped
the past. The past does not exist, there are only
b y m o r e h u m a n i s t f r a m e w o r k s f o r h i s t o r y. S i n c e
the stories we tell ourselves about it.
Henri Bergson, a french philosopher from the f i r s t h a l f o f t h e t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r y, m i g h t d i s a g r e e w i t h t h e i d e a o f k i l l i n g t i m e . To B e r g s o n b o t h past and future coexist within the present. It is difficult for us to imagine because we are so inclined to visualize time within space, to see it as lines or as rivers. Because two things cannot exist in the same place we are left to assume that two kinds of time must also be mutually exclusive. Bergson would counter this by suggesting that the present does exist (as observation), whereas the past and future exist vir tually (as memories or trajectories). It is important to note that, when we are
we can imagine models that work for us, that
remembering something, we are always doing
create possibilities and that challenge existing
so in the present. If I look at this photograph
power structures.
of a sunken house I can begin to observe how its past has shaped our present. I can begin
So, the next time you look at a photograph I want
to imagine how that same past can translate
you to imagine its many possibilities. There
into the future. If I am mindful I might begin to
is the present, the world contained within the
notice the ways in which my present changes
smallest fraction of a second. The past existing
this
emotions
as a shadow in silver and dye. And the future,
around a visage that might not have existed
p r e s e n t i n t h e f o r m o f t r a j e c t o r y, p r o m i s e a n d
before. I might even begin to see our futures
t h e p o t e n t i a l f o r r e i n t e r p r e t a t i o n . Yo u c a n m o v e
within this inundated home, as our shorelines
your photographs around to tell new stories,
continue to recede.
trace out the form of new narratives and ideas. Or
past,
shaping
memories
and
you can simply sit in the present and appreciate Gilles Deleuze, a french philosopher from the
t h e w a y t h a t i n k l o o k s o n p a p e r.
s e c o n d h a l f o f t h e t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r y, c a m e t o r e i n v e s t i g a t e B e r g s o n’s i d e a o f t i m e . D e l e u z e ,
More than anything I think that photographs are
working within an academic world dominated by
objects of flux, a kind of glitch within the matrix
the postmodern notion that the past and future
o f h u m a n u n d e r s t a n d i n g . I s n’ t i t a s t o u n d i n g t h a t
do not actually exist, found great comfort in
the Universe has existed for 13.8 billion years
B e r g s o n’s m o d e l . To D e l e u z e , t h e f a c t t h a t i t i s
and we are lucky enough to find ourselves here,
difficult to picture this model of time is a kind
with these questions, in this moment?
of saving grace. Because our perception is limited within spatial t e r m s i t m a y b e t h a t t h e r e a r e o t h e r, e v e n w i l d e r ways of understanding time. We may never have access to the truth about it. What matters is that
SOLARIS | Gerasimos Platanas
w w w.g erasimo sp latan as.c om
THE PREVAILING | Aaron Blum WINDS OF HILLS AND HERITAGE
w w w.aaro n b lu mp h o to .c o m
Appala c h ia p u lls a t m e l i ke a h au n t e d memo r y. T h ere is a n i n e f f ab l e f o rc e that c o m p els m e to s u s p en d re a l i t y an d embra c e s u p e r st it io n a n d m y t h . It i s a longi n g to h o ld o n to m y c u l t u re an d histo r y in s p it e o f t h e m o d e r n wo r l d . The n e b u lo u s f o rest s, e n ve l o p i n g m o s s and da r k c o r n er s s e e m to t e l l a p u re r tr uth . Stor y t e llin g in Ap p a la ch i a h as a l o n g standin g
t ra dit io n ,
and
it
infuses
the regio n w it h m ys t e r y. U s i n g l o re , pseu do - s c ie n t if ic s t u d y, a n d p e r s o n a l exper ien c e s a s a c o m p a s s I s e e t h i s place t h ro u gh idea lized eye s o f wo n d e r, and t h ese im a g e s b ec o m e m y p er s o n a l folklo re . They b r in g to life t h e f a n t as i e s an d memo r ie s I c a r r y w it h m e . Th i s i s a place w h e re yo u c a n was h a way s i n i n cool st re a m w a t e r s, w h e re c o r p s e b i rd s come to fer r y a w ay s o u l s to t h e n e x t life, ro c ks b u r n a n d k u d z u c o n c e al s . This is t h e p la c e w h e re t h e p reva i l i n g wind s w h isp e r o ld sto r i e s to t h o s e wh o know h o w to lis t e n .
sh ts o shots
of time Peter Cohen is a New York based collector of snapshots and vernacular photographs. From a modest start at a local flea market over two decades ago, Cohen’s stunning collection has since swelled to more than 60,000 photographs. The archive spans much of the twentieth century and encompasses many different processes and formats, including gelatin silver prints, cyanotypes, hand-tinted photos, Polaroids, and complete photo albums. Yael Eban is a lens-based artist and archivist of the Peter J. Cohen Collection. Working with found imagery has influenced her creative process, leading her to reflect on the parameters of the archive in a digital age. Her current practice sits at the intersection of active image-making and the collecting and repurposing of images that already exist in the world. This particular layout for the Killing Time issue of Float is a meditation on isolation, boredom, and stillness. All images are from the Peter J. Cohen Collection Concept and layout by Yael Eban www.pjcohencollection.com www.yaeleban.com
\
EUSA | Naomi Harris
w w w.n ao mih arris.c o m \ @ map ledipped
In the winter of 2008, I traveled to the mountains
Sweden. I attended a Rendezvous Weekend, and the
of north Georgia in the southern United States to
campground was full of people dressed in costume.
photograph the final swingers’ event for my book
There were Native American (though they were
A m e r i c a S w i n g s . H a v i n g a r r i v e d e a r l y, I f o u n d I
blond and blue-eyed), fur trappers, pioneers and
had time to kill before the festivities ensued, so
American Civil War soldiers, both Confederates and
the party organizer suggested I go visit the town of
Unionists. Not a single cellphone, digital camera or
Helen.
any other sort of technological gadget was in sight. The campsites were primitive, with very one cooking
“ W h a t ’s t h e r e ? ” I a s k e d .
o n a n o p e n f i r e . T h e r e w a s a n a u t h e n t i c i t y, f r o m the attire right down to the bedrolls, meticulously
“ Tr u s t m e , j u s t g o ,” h e r e p l i e d .
c a p t u r i n g e v e r y d e t a i l o f t h e p e r i o d . I f y o u h a d n’ t k n o w n a n y b e t t e r, y o u ’ d h a v e t h o u g h t y o u w e r e i n
So I got into my rental car and drove about a half-
1860s Virginia, not Sweden in 2008.
hour until I came upon this tourist town too tiny to even warrant a traffic light.
For the next several summers, I ventured back and
The buildings on Main Street were covered in
forth between the United States and Europe to
gingerbread, giving it a faux- Bavarian feel. The
photograph a Maifest in Washington state, “cowboy
restaurants served schnitzel, spätzle and bratwurst,
a n d I n d i a n” a m u s e m e n t p a r k s i n G e r m a n y, F r a n c e ,
and the gift shops sold cuckoo clocks, beer steins
Italy and the Canary Islands, a Dutch tulip celebration
a n d T- s h i r t s w i t h C o n f e d e r a t e f l a g s a n d “ I t ’s a
i n I o w a , a r o c k a b i l l y f e s t i v a l i n H u n g a r y, a V i k i n g
Southern
gathering in Alaska and a Civil War reenactment in
Thing
Y’all”
emblazoned
across
their
fronts. This is the Deep South, after all, even though
the Czech Republic.
it resembled a Bavarian alpine village. The story goes that in the 1960s this former logging
My observation is that the American destinations
town was in decline, facing a recession. A resident,
tend to be about celebrating the heritage of those
who also happened to be a World War II veteran,
who settled in the area, such as the Danish in
suggested the townsfolk give the southern enclave
Solvang, California, or the Norwegians in Petersburg,
a m a k e o v e r, t u r n i n g t h e A p p a l a c h i a n s i n t o t h e A l p s . A n d b o a s t i n g t h e w o r l d ’s l o n g e s t O k t o b e r f e s t f r o m t h e b e g i n n i n g o f S e p t e m b e r t o t h e e n d o f O c t o b e r, Helen became a tourist hot spot. Intrigued, I was curious to see whether any other places like Helen existed elsewhere in the United States. I drove back t o m y m o t e l r o o m a n d g o o g l e d “ E u r o p e i n A m e r i c a .” Frankenmuth, Michigan. Solvang, California. Orange C i t y, I o w a . L e a v e n w o r t h , W a s h i n g t o n . OK, I was onto something. But then I also wondered whether there were any places in Europe with little bits of America nestled within them and where they were. The first place I went to photograph for EUSA was High Chaparral, a Wild West theme park in
A l a s k a , o r t h e D u t c h i n O r a n g e C i t y, I o w a , w h e r e a s the European sites are often about a fascination with American culture, albeit a culture of the past. In Germany and much of Eastern Europe, there is an obsession with Native Americans, thanks to Winnetou, the central character from a series of books written by German author Karl May between 1875 and 1910. The fact that May never set foot in America (or at least not until 1908 and never reaching the Wild West), did his research by reading the books in the prison library where he was jailed for petty theft and is even rumored to have plagiarized the books a l t o g e t h e r d o e s n’ t d e t e r h i s f e r v e n t f o l l o w e r s . T h e stories were so popular in Nazi Germany (Hitler was ostensibly a fan) that they escaped being banned, notwithstanding the protagonist being non-Aryan. E a c h s p r i n g a c e l e b r a t i o n i s h e l d i n M a y ’s h o n o r in his hometown of Radebeul, where a large street fair features pageants based on his books and where many people dress in Native American-like costumes.
g l o b a l i z a t i o n . I t d o e s n’ t m a t t e r i f y o u ’ r e i n N e w Yo r k , P a r i s , o r F r a n k f u r t ; w e e a t t h e s a m e f o o d s , wear the same clothes, and talk on the same p h o n e s . W e c o n s u m e t h e s a m e b r a n d s . W e’ r e p a r t
I should note that in North America dressing in traditional First Nations costume is considered cultural appropriation and, therefore, insensitive. There was a time when it was trendy and cool for young music festival attendees to don feather headdresses with their bikinis, or when mainstream stores like Urban Outfitters used traditional Navajo p a t t e r n s o n e v e r y t h i n g f r o m s o c k s t o u n d e r w e a r, b u t now Native people are speaking out and informing society that it is not OK to wear their ceremonial vestments to be stylish. What to make, then, of the Europeans who dress up as Natives during their rendezvous weekends? Is there a difference in the sense that they are doing so out of admiration and respect, painstakingly handcrafting
is being watered-down and homogenized due to
their
costumes
with
historical
accuracy and wearing them as a way to honor the Native American. Does this give them a pass in the conversation on cultural appropriation? So why are we so interested in the other anyway? I think at this particular time society universally
of an international community hard pressed to be u n i q u e a n d s t a n d o u t f r o m o n e a n o t h e r. T h e I n t e r n e t has fur ther leveled the field, granting us access to instant knowledge about anyone and anything worldwide. Thus there is a longing for a bygone era when differences were more distinct. In America, they are celebrating who they were and where they c a m e f r o m , b u t f o r E u r o p e a n s i t ’s c e l e b r a t i n g w h o m t h e y a r e f a s c i n a t e d b y. The question remains as to how much longer events like these will continue. I suppose if there is a need for humans to connect with our pasts, both real a n d i m a g i n e d ( a n d , l e t ’s f a c e i t , t o h a v e f u n ) , t h e rituals will go on. The photos in this book are about t a k i n g t h i s j o u r n e y, b u t o n e w h e r e t h e d e s t i n a t i o n i s u n c l e a r. A r e y o u i n A m e r i c a , o r a r e y o u i n E u r o p e ? Exactly who are these people? This is often a m y s t e r y, a n d o n e n e e d s t o l o o k f o r t h e c l u e s a s t h e y travel through the land of EUSA. [Essay from the book EUSA buy a copy on the Kehrer Verlag website]
DOWN THE | Adrian Skenderovic RIVER I n Pa r i s , to u r i s t b o at s c al l e d « b at e a u x -mo uches » cruis e do w n t h e Se i n e r i ve r, o f fe r i n g s i g h t s e e r s a unique view o f t h e E i f fe l to we r, t h e L o u v re M u s e u m , the No tre D a me Ca t h e d ral an d o t h e r we l l -k n o wn m o n u m e n ts . In
his
series
“ D o wn
Th e
R i ve r ” ,
p h o to gra pher
Ad ria n
S ken d e rov i c c ap t u re s t h e l i fe o n Th e Seine, by lo o king do w n o n to u r i s t s l o o k i n g a t Par i s .
www.ad rian sken d erov ic p h o to g raph y.c o m \ @adr ian_fhtf
WORDS FROM THE EDITORS
Time. What a sub j e c t m at t e r to t ac k l e . C an you ever re al l y capt ure t he essen c e of w h at t i m e re al l y i s ? Photography has a t e n de n c y to c re at e t h e i l l u s i on of capt ur ing t ime. We h ave al l h e ard abou t t h at m ag i c al ‘decisive momen t ’ i de a of h ow a m om e n t i n t i m e i s capt ured in it s i de al f orm by t h e ph otog raph’s eye an d camera. It is a s pl i t s e c on d i n t i m e w h ere eve r yt h i n g aligned up per fe c t l y, a s e c on d t h at on l y t h e c am e ra can capt ure and on l y i f you w e re l u c k y e n ou g h to be t here to capt ure i t . B u t , i s i t eve n a re al c on c ept ? C an a photograph act ual l y c apt u re t h e “ ri g h t ” m om e n t i n t i m e ? What is r ight , what i s w ron g an d w h at i s i n be t w ee n t h e m ? In t his issue, we l ooke d i n to w h at t i m e c ou l d m e an f or dif ferent photograph ers . How t h ey n ot on l y re pre s e n t t h e idea of killing t im e , bu t h ow w e , as t h e re ade rs , c ou l d relat e to it . In eac h body of w ork t h e re i s a ph otog raph e r ’s way of viewing - f rom l i t e ral t i m e to a poe t i c an d pe rs on al approach. This
issue
is
a
c ol l e c t i ve
of
‘times’
t h at
challenge, conf irm or qu e s t i on ou r n ot i on on t h e s u bj e c t mat t er. We hope t hat t hi s i s s u e rai s e s qu e s t i on s . W h y i s e ac h project in t his is s u e an d w h at do t h ey re pres e n t ? Wel l , t hose are open qu e s t i on s t h at w e s h ou l d al l t h i n k abou t but not necessari l y be abl e to an s w e r i n f u l l . T h i s i s s u e i s here to let you k i l l t i m e; t ake a fe w m om e n t s ou t of you r day to dedicat e to ar t an d ph otog raph y.
P hoto: Yoav Friedlan de r