SOL LANG
Majestic & Mundane
MAJESTIC AND MUNDANE | PHOTOGRAPHS
published by
HEUTEKUNST www.heutekunst.com
SOL LANG p h o t o g r a p h s
Majestic & Mundane sol lang
p h o t o g r a p h s
sol lang
Majestic & Mundane sol lang p h o t o g r a p h s
ISBN 978-0-9782775-1-2
published by
HEUTEKUNST Š 2007 HeuteKunst and Sol Lang www.heutekunst.com www.sollang.com Graphic design by Crayon Design & Communication Inc., www.crayondesign.net. Printed on demand by Lulu.com. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical (including photocopying, recording, and information storage or retrieval) without prior consent of the publishers.
“Sol Lang is a perceptive photographer of the usual and mundane. He uses found objects as his muse, but what he makes from what you and I would probably consider junk is astounding. He goes to places like an abandoned factory and takes photos where he likes to deal in contrasts, to enhance his images by revealing the same object close-up, at a medium distance and far away. He always takes photos in series and uses the design elements inherent in their very nature such as tire treads, bird feathers or chain links. He is a master at making the ordinary majestically beautiful.�
Paula S Shulak, The Community News, Delaware
sol lang
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Excerpts from an interview published in Flickr MFA, an on-line, fine art, photography community group.
BW Describe your experience of showing your work and what you felt you've gotten from the experience. SL Let me just first say that the experience is a relatively new one. Oh yes, I have participated in the odd student group show during my university years, but these were insignificant compared to the experiences I am having in this later time of a second career. Although I had been doing my art for many years, it wasn’t until quite recently (2000) that I met a special person — an art teacher and mentor so to speak, that through her invitation to an impromptu “salon” for the purpose of exchanging and showing ideas in art, that I caught the bug for showing. I spread out a selection of my photographs and was surprised to see this group of some ten people all gaping at them open-mouthed. Questions and comments from all sides, I don’t need to tell you what an ego booster that was. At evening’s end she suggested that I should consider showing my work publicly. Until that time I had been existing in a cocoon. I thought my work was pretty good, but had never received the validation of an audience until now.
Finally this question would not be answered completely without mentioning my showing right here on Flickr. This is quite the ultimate place to show. Once you have networked with your select group of art appreciating contacts, the rewards just keep on coming and coming. I would say that, artistically, this is a very nurturing environment. You get immediate and honest feedback that can even help you make decisions for future exhibitions. BW Where have you found difficulties? SL For an emerging artist the hardest thing is getting a show. Getting representation is tough as well. Choosing a good fit is important when selecting a gallery.
horses, stable & corral before the storm
Probably the most significant eastern townships, québec, canada, 2003 experience is the feeling of touching others with your art. To have the opportunity to actually When preparing for a show, selecting the works can be watch people walk up to it and observe it. It is a bit difficult. So far I have never custom-created work for a disarming as well. You are putting yourself out there. show. I work constantly and only show what is ready. Allowing your vulnerability to show. Exposing your soul. When I say ready, I may still need to print the images, but But when you witness to have actually provoked an I will have the images selected. The photographs will emotional reaction in someone, that is certainly one of the have already been taken and digitally prepared. All that most rewarding feelings of all. Notice, I never mention is left is printing, framing and hanging. I am presently selling or money. I think, in all fairness I should mention involved in a proposal that will include a video which I that as a graphic designer I am very involved in my will be submitting in writing before the actual video will business and making my living exclusively that way and be produced. But this is a first for me. not from my artistic photography work. This provides me the luxury of individuality and constant development of the self. 4
There can be many other problems and for many reasons. Here are some I have encountered. Sometimes, I like to design my own exhibitions, like the presentation and the hanging layout of my show. I have had the gallery director/curator rearrange my photographs. This is crucial since I almost always shoot in series. Jealousy amongst members of a group exhibit can make things very difficult. An inexperienced gallery owner is a problem. BW Why do you want to show? SL I think showing is the last step in the process. I believe that an artist has the responsibility to show his or her work. On one level I would argue that we as artists have been
But there is a selfish ego-boosting side to showing. There is power in the work. The power to affect, influence and cause action. As artists, to some degree, we want to provoke and move our audience. As far as the question of “boats or rafts”, as artists we must never lose our oars. I know it is hard to steer a straight line when addictive influences such as fame, money or just food get in the way of that straight course. It is a moral and practical dilemma. Personally I do my “prostitution” in the domain of graphic design where one has to please others who pay you, although even there I have notoriety of being hardheaded. In other words there are many a client or potential client that I have kicked in the ass. BW What is your work saying? Is there a general overview you feel your work states? SL Maybe there is a general statement. I guess after some thought I would say that my aim in my art is to present truth. Of course not everyone might agree with my truth, but at least they will be faced with a point of view that will either make them aware of one that is different from their own or (for the open minded) take the opportunity to accept a new truth other than their own. I would hope, though, that it would provoke and agitate, in an ultimately positive way.
shadowy fern mont tremblant, québec, canada, 2003
given a talent, a gift. This is a gift of the highest level. The word artist when addressing any other profession is a word that defines a higher level of performance. A level of excellence. Being an artist is not a job. It is a calling. One that comes with a responsibility. As artists we see the world in a different way. Our vision has value and we must give back in exchange for this gift, our special ability of seeing, perceiving, understanding the world around us. So we must show. We are required to do so. Anything less is not fulfilling ones end of the bargain. Some might argue, “I would like to show, but no gallery wants to accept me.” Valid argument, yes, but as long as we are producing the work, we must try to show it. Somehow, somewhere.
In my many series (I more often work in series than just singular photographs), the messages that come up the most are commentary on the human condition. I would say that I am a socially concerned photographer, but I have abstract studies and free form compositions that are strictly a play in light, shape and colour, too. In order to keep it fresh, I will do some “crop rotation”. I also do some video, dabble a little in drawing and at present am building up a slight tension that may eventually burst into painting.
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ghosts of nature
These photographs are about my relationship with the Earth, whereby I am representing humanity. But in my work as a photographer I can only speak for myself. I am celebrating the majesty and grandeur of nature and how we fit into it. In the photographs showing distant vast landscapes, I show evidence of humans through cars and electric towers all dwarfed by the awesome storm clouds and mountains. This beauty of nature is also evident in the more intimate views of the farms and country roads, again, showing our relationship with Earth and man’s harnessing of it for his own use. Mine is a positive, optimistic point of view, because the scenes are beautiful and that implies that the beauty, even beyond or in spite of man’s tampering will always be there.
barn against a cloudy sky 1 eastern townships, québec, canada, 2003
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ghosts of nature 7
I use contrasting points of view. The macrocosm and microcosm. From very distant vistas, to closer images of rural scenes, down to close-up views of earth, moss and clovers, tree trunks, bark and root. I strip them all of colour to present a raw image that allows the viewer to respond emotionally to shape, texture and contrast. I use techniques such as selective focus, lens vignette and rather large print size to draw the viewer in. The soft focus on the edge, gives a dream like effect and a “vintage photography” feeling from a time before we knew we were destroying our environment with harmful technology.
lush meadow dunham, québec, canada, 2003
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the gathering storm 1 charlevoix, quĂŠbec, canada, 2004
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corn field and meadow dunham, quĂŠbec, canada, 2003
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the gathering storm 2 charlevoix, quĂŠbec, canada, 2004
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The works also evoke a quiet and calm sense of serenity. Although there is evidence of man’s existence in the photographs through the farms, buildings and towers, there are no actual humans in the images, so the lone viewer becomes the only perceived living participant in the scene. Visual drama created by massive dark clouds has always intrigued me. It is one of the ways for me to understand how small we humans really are in this universe.
the end of the road mount pinnacle, frelighsburg, quĂŠbec, 2003
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country road with cloudy sky eastern townships, quĂŠbec, canada, 2003
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ravaged forest
In my mind I conjure up images from post holocaust documentary films of the death camps taken by the allied forces. Bodies piled up one on top of the other, as the bulldozers would shovel them into the massive graves. Trees symbolize life. Cut down gives me an ominous feeling that foreshadows an end of humanity. These photographs were taken in Canada, where the lumber industry is supposedly (and questionably) well regulated to maintain the forests. As the grown trees are cut down there are young ones planted to keep replenishing the tree population. Nevertheless the feeling of sadness and doom is ever present.
ravaged forest 15 cowansville, quĂŠbec, 2006
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ravaged forest 9 cowansville, quĂŠbec, 2006
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ravaged forest 14 cowansville, quĂŠbec, 2006
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ravaged forest 13 cowansville, quĂŠbec, 2006
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ravaged forest 8 cowansville, quĂŠbec, 2006
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auto motive history 20
auto motive history
Auto motive history or portrait of an abandoned gas station. Foreshadowing a possible future.
Oil has been depleted and replaced by other forms of energy that are more environmentally sound. Nature’s reclaiming of the Earth is visible everywhere. Ancient structures and relics of abandoned gas stations and vehicles are still littering the soon to be pristine countryside. Humans hiding from view are awaiting clean-up operations, which have been too busy since the Great War.
auto motive history 1 abandoned frontier town, schroon lake, new york, 2006
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auto motive history 3 abandoned frontier town, schroon lake, new york, 2006
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auto motive history 8 abandoned frontier town, schroon lake, new york, 2006
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auto motive history 7 abandoned frontier town, schroon lake, new york, 2006
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auto motive history 4 abandoned frontier town, schroon lake, new york, 2006
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auto motive history 2 abandoned frontier town, schroon lake, new york, 2006
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auto motive history 9 abandoned frontier town, schroon lake, new york, 2006
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auto motive history 11 abandoned frontier town, schroon lake, new york, 2006
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auto motive history 5 abandoned frontier town, schroon lake, new york, 2006
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sanctuary 30
sanctuary
As Quasimodo cried out, upon the storming of Notre Dame Cathedral by the masses, to protect himself and Esmeralda from their hysteria, so do I scream out, silently as my voice falls on deaf ears in the abandoned, waste of this environmentally hostile site, where the polluting by-products of this facility are slowly seeping down and penetrating the soil underneath. Above there seems to be a false serenity that is reminiscent of the sacredness of a place of worship. This series of photographs is my reflection on the “sanctity” of religion, as I draw a parallel between it and the secret evils of greed in our society. An abandoned factory in Lachine Québec, although now completely demolished, was a haven for young graffiti artists where they could express themselves through their art. It was a safe place for them to do so without interference from police or the law. The space also became a sanctuary and a haven for me, to peacefully explore it in silence. To meditate and capture its spirit in photographs.
sanctuary 5 lachine, québec, 2002
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sanctuary 2 lachine, quĂŠbec, 2002
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sanctuary 11 lachine, quĂŠbec, 2002
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sanctuary 3 lachine, quĂŠbec, 2002
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sanctuary 7 lachine, quĂŠbec, 2002
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phantom ravages
“Whether he is offering an intimate perspective on the forgotten and overlooked inanimate world or a brief, but powerful, glimpse at the human condition, Sol Lang’s photos showcase a wonderful artistic approach to photography that should not be overlooked! Combined with his excellent technical skills it seems there is no limit to what he can show us from a refreshing point of view...”
Nolan Smock, artist
phantom ravages 1 montréal, québec, canada, 2002
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phantom ravages 3 montrĂŠal, quĂŠbec, canada, 2002
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phantom ravages 4 montrĂŠal, quĂŠbec, canada, 2002
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phantom ravages 2 montrĂŠal, quĂŠbec, canada, 2002
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phantom ravages 5 montrĂŠal, quĂŠbec, canada, 2002
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le plateau montréal
Back alleys, le plateau, montréal The Plateau area of Montréal has become one of the most popular parts of the city and is the hub for art and culture. But behind the buildings are the alleys where the visuals are of utmost interest to me. It is a photographer’s dream! The following statement precisely expresses my sentiments about art: “What I enjoy most about this journey is the endless challenges it presents. As I push the boundaries of my experience, other directions of exploration unfold. Just as chance was a factor in my becoming a photographer so it is a factor that leads me forward. The image that refuses to fit in a series has often led me in an unexpected direction. Or, the work of another photographer has pointed me on yet another path. Photography is about being open to new possibilities. It is about seeing, being patient, and being forever humbled.” - Jacqueline Walters, artist.
peeling paint montréal, québec, canada, 2002
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le plateau montrĂŠal 43
masonry and steel exclusion montréal, québec, canada, 2005
plateau alley 7 montréal, québec, canada, 2005
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alley address 241 montréal, québec, canada, 2005
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plateau alley 5 montréal, québec, canada, 2005
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plateau alley 13 montréal, québec, canada, 2005
no parking between doors montréal, québec, canada, 2005
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Age and beauty. Is it a rule of nature? Or is it in the eyes of the beholder? I have always found intrigue in the aged, both inanimate as well as the living. What tales these old places tell. I was greatly moved when I came upon these old doors to a carriage house in a Plateau Montréal, back alley. The worn out rotting wood, rusty hinges and metal parts. The repairs and old paint. They all contribute to the emotional response of the viewer. This could not have been better than if it had been set-up and contrived. I love the discovery of such places when I am out by myself shooting.
time, time, time... see what’s become of me montréal, québec, canada, 2005
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le plateau montrĂŠal 49
old back alley doors montréal, québec, canada, 2005
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plateau alley 10 montrĂŠal, quĂŠbec, canada, 2005
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masonry and steel exclusions montréal, québec, canada, 2004
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coal chute in brick wall montrĂŠal, quĂŠbec, canada, 2004
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masonry and steel exclusion
“Sol Lang’s favorite pastime is to seek ruin in everything around him. For 20 years, he’s been making excursions, as he calls them, to abandoned buildings, garbage dumps, demolition sites and neglected industrial neighborhoods — anywhere there’s a chance to lift his camera and capture the temporality of what comes from the hands of man. Then he turns it into something of beauty that also haunts the intellect. “These images can ignite memories from the past. Perhaps fears from childhood or memories of some tragic disaster”. For Lang, it’s a combination of the Holocaust (his parents and grandparents survived the camps in Transnistria, Rumania), the Jew as outsider (doors, walls and locks) and how possessions incite men to be exclusionary by locking things in and locking people out. The first photo in his Masonry and Steel Exclusion series is his most exquisite image, one that expresses all three themes. A turn-of-the-century railway loading dock door is barred by a hand-forged bolt across rusting metal plates and rotting wood. The very process of oxidizing metal, whispers history. A black crack-size opening suggests the mystery of what is protected within or the space to which its owners forbid access. The only unrusted metal surface is the padlock, symbolizing man’s ever-renewed desire to shut out or imprison, and clinging to it is a feathery, white seedpod. The seedpod is at once the excluded soul, the living battering itself against the inanimate and the fragile overwhelmed by the immovable. Yet its delicacy and promise of life shines like hope.”
Heather Solomon, Canadian Jewish News, Montréal
masonry and steel exclusion 1 old montréal, québec, canada, 1984
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masonry and steel exclusion 3 old montréal, québec, canada, 1984
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masonry and steel exclusion 4 old montréal, québec, canada, 1984
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masonry and steel exclusion 2 old montréal, québec, canada, 1984
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masonry and steel exclusion 5 old montréal, québec, canada, 1984
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old world traveller 60
old world traveller
I give the viewer a sense of the abstract found in these subjects while allowing full recognition of what it is he or she is looking at. I achieve this by combining extreme close-ups with relative wide views. The subjects in these photographs are completely recognizable, still there is a very strong abstract expressionistic element in the details of each that make for bold compositions with dramatic results.
old world traveller 1 hampstead, quĂŠbec, canada, 2001
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I have found that my photographic art, although being very diverse, tends to contain many images of destruction and decay of man-made structures and objects. Whether destroyed by deliberate demolition, accidental disaster or just the weathering away due to the elements and time, I am intrigued by the compositional and emotional expressions that these subjects yield.
new life on rusty old world traveller hampstead, quĂŠbec, canada, 2002
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old world traveller 3, series 2 hampstead, quĂŠbec, canada, 2003
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old world traveller 2 hampstead, quĂŠbec, canada, 2001
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old world traveller 3 hampstead, quĂŠbec, canada, 2001
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old world traveller 5 hampstead, quĂŠbec, canada, 2001
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old world traveller 4 hampstead, quĂŠbec, canada, 2001
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vermont weathering cowshed
It is intriguing to me how with photography I am able to preserve images of what is old and soon to be discarded. These objects and places will disappear from existence and therefore from sight forever if not for photography. The documentary aspect of my photographs is truly preserving the present that is on the verge of becoming history and eventually just a memory. My photography is not just about making beautiful pictures. Rather, I am more interested in how my "art" is perceived, understood, appreciated. Am I communicating meaning, conceptually or otherwise? I am interested in living an "artistic life".
vermont weathering cowshed 1 richford, vermont, usa, 2002
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vermont weathering cowshed 2 richford, vermont, usa, 2002
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vermont weathering cowshed 3 richford, vermont, usa, 2002
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vermont weathering cowshed 4 richford, vermont, usa, 2002
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vermont weathering cowshed 5 richford, vermont, usa, 2002
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desolate address
In 2000, it became necessary for me to acquire a digital camera for my business. The dynamic and personal advantages of digital photography became evident to me almost immediately. My already well-developed skills in digital imaging married perfectly with this new innovation of a traditional medium. As it is with other visual art forms, photography for me, is the medium by which I convey to the world the imagery of what I see and my unique way of seeing. I try to express my vision of what is aesthetically pleasing and especially enjoy discovering it in the least likely places. The contradiction of aesthetic beauty framed in a photograph taken in a visually “objectionable� environment is what provokes the viewer to respond in a profound way that goes beyond the apparent. Usually it is an intellectual response with an emotional sprinkle, although often in the reverse order.
desolate address 1 richford, vermont, usa, 2002
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desolate address 3 richford, vermont, usa, 2002
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desolate address 4 richford, vermont, usa, 2002
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desolate address 2 richford, vermont, usa, 2002
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desolate address 5 richford, vermont, usa, 2002
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unessential castaways 80
unessential castaways
My influences come from the combined effects of the medium as well as the subject. Most subjects will yield far more than just one single photograph, so it is really, in a sense, a series of photographs that I combine to communicate the totality of my artistic expression. This can be considered documentary or photo-essay in style. The production technique of the print is completely enmeshed in the creative process. While capturing the images in the camera, I am very much aware and guided by the process that is to follow. The creative process continues, as the images are digitally prepared for printing.
unessential castaways 6 verdun, quĂŠbec, canada, 2002
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unessential castaways 2 verdun, quĂŠbec, canada, 2002
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unessential castaways 1 verdun, quĂŠbec, canada, 2002
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unessential castaways 3 verdun, quĂŠbec, canada, 2002
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unessential castaways 4 verdun, quĂŠbec, canada, 2002
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enduring cold ferrous
In my view, the total experience of the art of photography is, in fact, what provides the joy in photography. There are two distinct creative processes at work. The first is the aesthetic decision-making in finding, choosing and framing the subject at the instant of releasing the shutter. The second is the combined art and craft of printing the image and preparing it for viewing. The result of these two activities forms a sum that is far greater than its parts. Besides being a medium that has a decorative visual value when displayed in a given environment, photography compels the viewer to respond emotionally on several levels - some being aesthetic, ethical, editorial, social, and historical. It is an art that provokes and involves. Although I shoot in colour, I often plan my images to be printed in black-and-white. My choice between black-and-white or colour is dictated by the subject and the effect I feel will best convey the images’ dramatic message. My definition of drama, in this context, is that which will provoke an emotional reaction in the viewer. These images can ignite memories from the past. Perhaps fears from childhood or memories of some tragic disaster. They may be either first hand experiences or experiences as witnessed through the media. They can also be deep psychological angst, the origin of which one can not define.
enduring cold ferrous 1 montrĂŠal, quĂŠbec, canada, 2002
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enduring cold ferrous 2 montrĂŠal, quĂŠbec, canada, 2002
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enduring cold ferrous 5 montrĂŠal, quĂŠbec, canada, 2002
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enduring cold ferrous 3 montrĂŠal, quĂŠbec, canada, 2002
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enduring cold ferrous 4 montrĂŠal, quĂŠbec, canada, 2002
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guaranteed milk building before demolition 92
guaranteed milk building before demolition The interior of a Montréal landmark photographed at the the time it was slated for demolition. Finally the city decided that the building’s historical value made it worth protecting and preserving. Much of my artistic work involves the idea of exclusion. I photograph the instruments of exclusion. I like to find them in old structures or objects. The idea of exclusion which stems from the fear of “the other”. The protection and guarding of one’s own. This is a natural instinct that stems from the guarding of ones nourishment. It can be seen in the animal kingdom, although among them, once an animal is satiated it will willingly share with others. Humans need an intellectual or emotional stimulus to agree to share anything. The whole idea is very complex and psychological and can be theorized upon at length.
guaranteed milk building before demolition 1 montréal, québec, canada, 2002
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guaranteed milk building before demolition 2 montrĂŠal, quĂŠbec, canada, 2002
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guaranteed milk building before demolition 3 montrĂŠal, quĂŠbec, canada, 2002
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guaranteed milk building before demolition 4 montrĂŠal, quĂŠbec, canada, 2002
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guaranteed milk building before demolition 5 montrĂŠal, quĂŠbec, canada, 2002
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“Sol Lang’s artistic vision is expansive and he is equally genius at portraiture as well as street scenes or close-ups of walls and alleyways. His brilliant vision touches something in us all and our lives are somehow enriched by his photography. We see things that we might not have experienced on our own... he brings us into his world and it’s beautiful. Thank you, Sol Lang, for sharing your incredible eye with us!”
Mary Bogdan, artist
sol lang
p h o t o g r a p h s
SOL LANG
Majestic & Mundane
MAJESTIC AND MUNDANE | PHOTOGRAPHS
published by
HEUTEKUNST www.heutekunst.com
SOL LANG p h o t o g r a p h s