Tag: photography

by jad

Seeking the Fringe at Folklife

I was broadly aware that by taking a step behind the curtains this year and generally being there in the sleepier, pre-crowd hours, that I’d experience a very different Folklife than usual. I remember thinking about that when I stood in front of this window. There’s a special melancholy to the liminal time before showtime, anticipating the crash after you wrap. x They were recording content for their social media, so I didn’t stop to ask, but does anyone know what this dance is called and where it’s from? x At this point, I was actively seeking out the fringe … Continue reading “Seeking the Fringe at Folklife” →

by jad

A Story in Three Acts (I’m a Maximalist at Heart)

A story in three acts. What’s missing is the shot I didn’t take when I blurted out “whoaaaaaa” after this guy came out of nowhere and kicked the inflatable doll so hard, it flew back a meter or so. x I’m actually a maximalist at heart. x Not unlike an A24 film scheduled to be released tomorrow, you weren’t supposed to see this. x

by jad

Fist Puppets and the Lone Individual in the Crowd

Folklife was mostly grey and dreary the times I was there, so that colored the kinds of photos I took. x These are the fist puppets we left behind after the Samovar Collective led us on a “non-parade” from the Cornish Courtyard to the Center Theatre. I liked how they stood up on their own weight, just like they would at the end of a genuine protest. I’ve been enjoying feeling the different parts of my life and personality cohere into more of a whole through projects like these. It makes me think of something Gramsci wrote about no longer … Continue reading “Fist Puppets and the Lone Individual in the Crowd” →

by jad

Antigravity (On the Cost of Film Photography)

It’s been harder to justify the cost of film photography lately, but the siren’s call is almost just as hard to ignore, so I decided to stretch a roll out across a couple of weeks, like an “everyday carry.” This is counterintuitive, because the cost usually makes me more precious about the shots, needing them to “mean something.” These don’t mean anything. We took the new light rail to Mercer Island and found some earthworks, walked around, then took the light rail back. x I didn’t think about it at the time, but these fit well with an advertising project … Continue reading “Antigravity (On the Cost of Film Photography)” →

by jad

What Makes a Photo “Necessary”?

Whenever I’m anywhere with lots of people with cameras, I become painfully aware of my own camera and how low-key gross they actually are. It’s that twinge that Barthes writes about when he recognizes himself as becoming-object, but it’s worse, because, for me, it’s from both sides of the lens. I am the biggest hypocrite. I run from the gallows and happily take my place at the foot of the guillotine; I’m mixing metaphors somewhat, but I’m making another reference here: the photographer as executioner, as exegeted by Fontcuberta—the trail of dead leading back to France when the histories of … Continue reading “What Makes a Photo “Necessary”?” →

by jad

Barthes and the History of Looking

“The portrait-photograph is a closed field of forces. Four image-repertoires intersect here, oppose and distort each other. In front of the lens, I am at the same time: the one I think I am, the one I want others to think I am, the one the photographer thinks I am, and the one he [sic] makes use of to exhibit his art. In other words, a strange action: I do not stop imitating myself, and because of this, each time I am (or let myself be) photographed, I invariably suffer from a sensation of inauthenticity, sometimes of imposture (comparable to … Continue reading “Barthes and the History of Looking” →