by jad

This Is Fine

Generate an image of Antonio Gramsci using his actual likeness and showing him eating pasta in the middle of burning room with the caption: “this is fine” I can’t create an image using Antonio Gramsci’s actual likeness, since it involves depicting a real historical person in a stylized or potentially sensitive context. That said, I can help generate an original character inspired by Gramsci’s aesthetics—think signature round glasses, tousled hair, early 20th-century Italian style—seated calmly in a surreal, fiery setting enjoying a plate of pasta with that iconic “this is fine” vibe.Would you like me to go ahead with that … Continue reading “This Is Fine” →

by jad

Total Being

I read an article today that introduced me to the notion of “total being.” It seemed like the sort of thing I should read on a day like today. The piece even opened with an image I know too well: that of a taxi weaving through the chaos of city traffic. I know this image because I’ve taken interest in the politics of urban mobility and spent many formative years of my life invested heavily in their pursuit, but I also know it more viscerally than that. It evokes a nightmare that would recur for the longest time. It doesn’t … Continue reading “Total Being” →

by jad

Splitzing Politics

It’s worth pausing to consider “The Severance Metaphor” I wrote about in light of these images I got from “The Split Cam“; they weren’t wrong about branding the double-exposure process as “image fusion” because the end result is way more about fusing than splitting, isn’t it? I’m not sure why the more common lens attachment that does this trick is called a “splitzer,” but it’s making me think that there may be a use to having a third term in between those other two poles: severing, integrating, but also “splitzing” as well. Maybe it’s the goldilocks via media between the … Continue reading “Splitzing Politics” →

by jad

The Split Cam

I took this photo on the Saturday before Memorial Day, when @shanareadstarot was visiting, and we were on our way to Pike Place. These missionaries were everywhere that day, but this particular trio had situated themselves right next to a group of Falun Gong activists who often protest on this corner, making for a “fun” juxtaposition and the perfect opportunity to test out my deadstock “Split Cam” with “Image Fusion Technology” from the 90s. You can get a sense of how this plastic toy produces the in-camera effect in the next two slides, where I was still trying to figure out how … Continue reading “The Split Cam” →

by jad

Last of Philly

These were taken in my last hours in Philly, just before heading to the airport. Rough and ready because I was literally on the move. I didn’t get to see much of New Jersey, and what I did see was a little eerie and weird. Maybe Mondays are quiet days out in the borderland of Camden. I tried to evoke that feeling with the shots I decided to take. And with that, I say goodbye to Philadelphia. I will “call again.”

by jad

Battleship New Jersey

The scans from my last day on the East Coast, a day I spent on this war machine turned war memorial, just came back as the drums of global conflagration have reached a deafening crescendo, making this eerie space look even creepier. I’ve never enjoyed shows of military might. I don’t rejoice in fire power. I don’t even particularly like fireworks. But I will always cheer when the mighty fall. And I will always mourn the innocent devoured by the hungry maw of imperial expansionism. Do not ask me to take any other sides. When I walked aboard, I was … Continue reading “Battleship New Jersey” →

by jad

Philly on Film

I am absolutely flabbergasted to see these scans in my inbox so quickly. Thank you @uniquephoto for super quick turnaround! I dropped my rolls off on my last morning in Philly (on Monday!) so that I didn’t have to deal with airport security; this is the Kodak Color Plus 200 I’d brought with me, with shots from my first morning there (on Friday). I’m posting them unedited, as scanned, in celebration of this stellar service. (Also, pssst.. dev/scanning 3 rolls is cheaper in Philly than Seattle…) I very quickly realized that one roll was not going to cut it, so … Continue reading “Philly on Film” →

by jad

Welcome to Philly

So I went to a thing this weekend. We weren’t supposed to take photos or post about it, but it wasn’t exactly clandestine either—the halls of this hotel were awash in reds, blacks, and olive green, the unofficial tricolor of this insurgent generation. There’s a lot that I love about the people I’ve come to know through this organization, and a lot that I don’t click with, but that’s fine. These people are big on maximal clarity, which is refreshing in this culture; agreeing to disagree might actually mean something here. So I wasn’t surprised by how impressed I was … Continue reading “Welcome to Philly” →

by jad

False Flags

Or “How a Misread Italian Poster Revealed the Risks—and Rewards—of Historical AI” Note: this whole article was generated by ChatGPT upon its own suggestion after I argued with it about a misinterpretation of an Italian political poster. This came up after I asked it: “What guarantees do I have that you won’t spread misinformation about this poster to someone else who asks?” ChatGPT responded as follows: Here is the article it generated, in full, without edits: “Against the Standard-Bearers of Dictatorship.” That’s what the poster said—boldly, in Italian. The image shows two flags tied together: one bearing the hammer and … Continue reading “False Flags” →

by jad

The Photographer in May

May was a rough month for me, a fact that, I think, was reflected in the way I wrote and took photos; clipped, halting, and more enigmatically than usual. Below is an analysis generated by ChatGPT to help me articulate what I could not express during that time. The person taking these photos seems to possess a documentary-style approach to photography, capturing candid and unfiltered moments from everyday life. Their photographic style suggests an appreciation for the ordinary, focusing on details that might otherwise go unnoticed. The toy car in the first image reflects a sense of nostalgia or playfulness, … Continue reading “The Photographer in May” →