AM I CRAZY?

I was once again shooting down at the corner of Cumberland and Murray.
Last Wednesday. Crack addicts.

Everything was haywire. The demands of the people I know and photograph
on that corner were overwhelming. Tears (not my own) were shed. Desire
and disappointment crossed many faces. Pandemonium ensued.

When I come home after shooting there I can’t sleep, I’m all bent out of shape.
The stories and vibe that go into my head really affect me. I wonder why I do
it, if I’m crazy to put myself in that situation.

I’m not complaining though. All the stuff I’m describing here are reasons I go
to that corner, photograph those people. The juju there is like nothing else I’ve
experienced. Of course there are other reasons too, but that’s for some other
post.

After a bunch of false starts this year I’ve finally come to grips with how I’ll be
shooting. I’m working with a 4×5 and shooting tight portraits. It seems to me
that the work I did there last year was kind of about the idea of being a crack
addict. This year’s work, I believe, is about the actual people who are addicted
to crack.

After posting all my failures from this year I’ve decided to only post a few of the
successes. From time to time I’ll drop a new frame here.

The whole new series is scheduled to be shown at Gallery La Petite Mort, May, 2009.

FESTIVAL X preamble

Festival X, the Ottawa Photography Festival, opens with a big party this coming
Thursday (Sept. 18th) and a whole slew of foto shows open the day after. (Go
to the Fest X site for a complete program, etc.).

There were a couple of shows that opened this past Friday, though. Probably
a good thing since I don’t know who could possibly make it to all 17 openings
that are happening during the “official” opening Friday. Almost all of these
openings seem to be in the same 7 to 10 time slot.

The way it’s set up now many of the exhibiting photogs are stuck on the horns
of a dilemma: should they stay at their openings because, after all, friends,
neighbors and fans will be expecting to see them there? Or should they buzz
off to a bunch of other openings, to support their colleagues, at the risk of
missing out on the excitement of their own?

I wonder if next time it might be possible to have some of the shows open
5 to 7, others from 7 to 10 and a select few from 10 to late. I think that
with a bit of cooperation between venues this problem could be easily solved
and the big opening Friday would be more manageable for all.

Anyway…….

SPAO grads (and students) Sarah Fisher, Sarai Strikefoot and Michelle Wilson
opened their show at Council for the Arts in Ottawa, last Friday. Peter Honeywell,
the chief honcho there, has decided that their boardroom (which is absolutely
beautiful) should host a series of rotating exhibits. A good idea. I’m glad to
see this kind of lateral thinking since exhibiting space is at a premium here
in Ottawa.

Also opening this past Friday was a show by Geneviéve Thauvette at Dale Smith
Gallery.

Geneviéve’s show, titled Beheld: Iconic Self-Portraits, just might turn out to be
one of the must-see shows of Fest X.

Diligently researched and cunningly executed shots of Geneviéve posing as mostly
(but not exclusively) esoteric women artists. Each of the portrayed women is
framed in the photos by an included frame and has a halo that is a doily. Each
also holds a framed portrait of the man in their life. There are also bits and
pieces in each photo that allude to the work and history of each artist.

These shots, to me, are interesting because of the way they deal with so many
permutations of photography and art history and feminism and so on. What is
the subject matter here? Is it Genviéve or the history of art or the specific
women portrayed or the fact that so many women use their own bodies in
the creation of their photographs? All of the above? More? You decide.

As well, the photos, framed in a semi-Baroque manner that mirrors the frames
within each image, are very decorative, but (see above) not merely decorative.

The only issue I have with these prints is a few minor post production issues.
While the photos definitely look “touched” by Photoshop, mostly to good effect,
there seem to be little bits and pieces of rough finishing that, to a geek like me,
detract a bit from the whole.

But enough niggling. Put this show on your list……

And, a reminder to all interested parties out there: