Untitled [Slow Civil War]

This is a companion to a photograph from an earlier trip to a different sort of forest…

Hybrid #2 was the first image to trigger a notion about the relationships of nature, natural, man-made natural, and so on. Over time this is becoming a springboard to another project idea.

Some vague outline of thoughts …

Polarizing – Political views – “Axis of Evil” you’re either with us or against us – We are experiencing a man-made global warming – civil war. What is your carbon footprint?

I heard something vaguely this AM on NPR about “colonizing the Moon” – that it is actually – if only barely technologically achievable – a pursuit of NASA… maybe I was still asleep when I heard that….

How will we define our relationship with nature? How do we live with or how do we live without nature?

I’m beginning to look for moments in the battle of nature -the ultimate war – for survival. How does this interaction / competition to reach towards the sun, to breath in the air and to absorb the moisture – before the competition can – shape the environment. I’ve never considered the competitive nature of nature. Life and Death relationships – so I am looking forward to trying to make a collection of based upon trying to find ways of picturing this ongoing natural war.

I think this is also a project with the potential to shape a personal idea about how we humans approach our relationship to nature and how we look at nature as a resource or in a more sustainable symbiotic approach…

We have for too long believed in the right of “ownership of the land” .

Ostranenie.

There is no such thing.

silent scream
managed growth
negative impact
objective opinion
past prediction
routine emergency
sanitary landfill
timeless moment

…examining the threshold at which ordinary visibility ends and perception begins ….

The look of "Personal Work" vs "Stock"

Rice Fields by Christian Schmidt

So, how is “personal work” more like an amateur’s work – for the love of making / taking a photograph?

I came across this image in the current PDN personal work award recognition issue – I tried to find other similar work on-line but instead found other – more commercial appearing work… too bad – I rather liked the appearance of the rice fields. Although, I have to wonder if my liking it is from a certain viewing trend – in coloring, form, etc… The image sort of reminds me of other artist work now that I think about it. Still, it is a nice photograph.

Then, I came upon this image in the “Stock” category..

Red Houses by Christian Schmidt

Another pleasing photograph in my opinion…

It made me wonder what elements might separate the categories – Personal from Stock? Is it intentions – maybe – perhaps one sort of image (personal or stock) is meant to be “used” in a manner different than the other (personal or stock) image. In our contemporary culture “moment” – what sort of image (are there any that are off limits?) can not be commercialized or assimilated to a back story if necessary with the intention of tipping the scale towards another look. To catch the eye and transfer a kind of consumer (pleasure) desire. Is it that one image has more power (value) to persuade a potential consumer? Then again, perhaps that’s what most photographs are really all about… catching attention – simply saying “hey – take a look at this”. Are not museum visitors consumer’s of sorts? Is that a problem with how contemporary photography is being featured more and more prominently in the institutional art settings – that somehow the message that is supposed to be “in the photo” is looked at (cultural consumption) and then we move on. Maybe it is a question of time and shelf-life and with the passage of this contemporary moment, something else will be glimpsed with another look say in 10, 25, 50 or 100 years…

It prompted me to think a bit about the demands of commercial work – expectations set up for a certain look or feel – it potentially applies to a lot of different disciplines. It also begs the question of a style influence. It would be too easy to find examples of opposing images – one clearly meant to be “fine” and the other meant to be “stock”. What I find interesting is when the two aren’t always so apparently different – except for the author’s say so.

…examing the threshold at which ordinary visibility ends and perception begins ….

Untitled [A Subtle Presence]

Untitled [A Subtle Presence], by Matt Niebuhr.

This room, the Navarre
a 5 panel door with no knob.

Other work here at www.mattniebuhr.com

…examining the threshold at which ordinary visibility ends and perception begins ….

"Putting where it needs to be." – Richard Serra

Richard Serra has a vision – spoken with confidence. It’s about knowing what you want and how you want it – then attending to it – realizing it takes many to accomplish such a feat and that process can be informative.

I had a chance to see Richard Serra’s work at the Olympic Sculpture Park - in Seattle, Washington, impressive as expected, in size, scale and in sensuous shape. I thought the skin was particularly nice. The park-like siting of the work allows for an overview which helps the forms to be absorbed in the mind’s eye as objects – but barely holding their own against a looming corporate backdrop.

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The real power seems to me to be in walking next to and around – where you become more acutely aware of scale, surface, and shape. It didn’t hurt either to be visiting on a warm sunny spring day. That’s where the phenomenon of experience comes into play – being able to be next to something – to touch it.

The shapes nicely echoed in the passing freight ships out in the bay. But the irony of the fact that the institute actually posted a sign “please do not touch the art” seemed profane in an already profane space – trying hard to not be so.

Why must we place such imaginary boundaries upon these things ?

The park design is very nicely done as well. – It creates a section of land that I can only imagine is / was under intense scrutiny to be “developed” as evidenced by the surrounding dense and unfortunate condo development – it was interesting to see the impending invasion and architecture, art, and landscape – respond -

(design statement here) assuming a bit of a visual shield to the visual cacophony -

It brings home to me a sense of pressure about how we choose to shape our environment or be shaped by our environment.

…examining the threshold at which ordinary visibility ends and perception begins ….

To see and be seen

, by Matt Niebuhr.

The eternal question of self image / projected appearances… seeing what we want to see.

Cycles
9 to 6 every day
We cut our hair and fingernails
to see and be seen along the way.

In the mirror we see
but what we want to see.

More here: www.mattniebuhr.com

…examining the threshold at which ordinary visibility ends and perception begins ….