Exhibition Tour with Kenneth Josephson
I was always kind. Of fascinated, by codec. Would, have these. Plaques, often. Not, an explanation, over, the landscape but how to expose, properly, and. Usually, they'd have a little stand where you could put your camera your Kodak camera, and. Then. They had an example, of the finished. Image right, and, that you could get your own duplicate. Image that way kind. Of but not saying that there'd be these hundreds. Of thousands, of the. Same, photograph. You know over, and over again I decided. To make. An homage to, O'Sullivan. Who. 1867. I believe there. Was a survey. Of what the. West was about, and he. Was one he was the photographer, and, he. Had placed, a. Ruler. A yardstick. I think, it was, embedded. In Iraq or something as a tribute. To that. Or. Documentation. Of that survey. Crew. And, I wanted to introduce myself and. I was, able to use shadow, to. Place. It, in, a particular area. Representing. The, mountains. I had, used photographs. Within. A, scene. This. Time I I. Wanted. To maybe, question. Whether it was a photograph or you were actually seen. Through. This framing. What. Was beyond it I like, to make. It. Kind of clear how the image, was made again. I was. Introducing, a piece of myself well, it was very spontaneous image. I just followed. The car. With a open. Man, you. Know like talking, about how. Photography. Can create. A moment stop. A moment in time this image is, Illinois. In 1970. It's a supermarket. Parking lot, it's. A series, of images. Taken. Over a short. Period of time and. Representing. The same space. Anchored by the sign, in the background and, what, intrigued me was all the, rather. Unconventional. Representations. Of time and space. Resulted. In a believable whole and, it. Was my interest again, in, the. Idea of sequence, to. Produce a sequence. So. All the parts are within one, final, image. The. Sequence. Moves, from. Right to left rather, than the usual left, to right so. That was okay with me to. The. Other image. I wanted to talk about is. Was. Taken in Stockholm, in. 1967. I was. Taking. My camera for a walk came. Upon this unusual. Scene of an, automobile with, its, snow. Shadow I thought. It was a ready-made. For, the explanation. Of the negative. Positive relationship. In photography. It. Just explained. It right there the. Other thing, was. That the. Possibility. Of, vicariously. Stimulating. The. Sense. Of touch because. Of the cold, and the, heat, of the Sun that. Also has. A, factor. In two other photographs, that are on either side of that image the one from Istanbul, and the, other from. Indiana. The. One in Istanbul, has no. Real. Sense. Of scale, the. Scratching, on the surface. Of the. Wall was. By the, thorns in this rose bush that was being. Blown you know back and forth the, background, looks it's, very similar to a sky a cloudy, sky and I just thought about the fantasy, of scratching. The sky I didn't, screw the sky the. Other one done, in Indiana, was. After. A snowstorm. With. Rather. Strong wind, so it's blowing the snow from. One particular direction, what. Looked, like shadows. Are really, just, bare spots where the tree was blocking the path, of the snow so. That it becomes like a sunlit, scene but, it was it was just very overcast. But. I like the wave. Photography. Can create. Something, that really. Isn't. There, that. It's. Really, magical, to me I've, always loved Chicago. Skyline I wanted. To make, a documentation. Of it and include. Some scale it's, also, like. Reminiscent. Of the early daguerreotype. Swen they would travel to monuments. Places, that people, would, not have traveled, to show. Examples, of what's out there in the world this images, as you can see done in Washington DC, and, it. Was my homage. To one. Of the largest phallic. Symbols, in the world and I. Wanted. To play. With this by, using this contour. Gauge which. Carpenters, used to, duplicate. Say wood, molding, that isn't available, anymore. These are little rods and, you. Press that against something and it, gives you the outline, of whatever. You want to reproduce. It. Comes, off as this giant. Arm in hand, I. Always. Enjoyed. Forensic, photography. I've looked at a lot of police, photographs, and that. Deal. With evidence. Got. An unnecessary. Imager, for evidence. But. It. Illustrates. The impact. Of this car, spinning. Its wheels and creating, this effect. I've. Used these, this. Device. And, meter. Sticks in, other. Situations. And I've, even made fake ones so that things. Appear to be much larger than they are because, of the evidence of a small, meter, stick or, opposite. They become. Very small. Because. Of the believability, of, photography, I was. Counting. On that to. Kind. Of make. A false. Statement I, haven't. Used color. Photography. Very much and when. I have a chance to introduce it into my work I do that so, the clothes, allowed. For, that addition. Plus. The texture, of the cloth and that. It's these. Images, are like packing, slips of what. The contents, are you, have all the clothes that are shown are in there this image of my son, he, was 2 years old and he was very, curious I photographed.
Him A lot and one, day I was photographing him, with a Polaroid, camera I had, not, another camera, with me, it was completely, unplanned, he picked up one of the images, that he's holding in. His mind I think he thought he was making an image because this is translucent. You, could see his. Image through, there when. He headed out this far but, then he brought it up as if he were using. A camera because, he's mimicking, me with. My, finger, on the shutter release, and. Luckily, he held, it upside down which. Is the, way the, camera, sees. The image it's. Inverted, so. It speaks. About, the. Medium, in a very. Interesting. Way to me I see. It as a gift because I didn't plan this at all I just grabbed my other camera, and I saw him what he was doing, there's. A. Quote. Of. Pastore. Chance. Favors. The prepared mind. So. Having. My. Camera ready and. And. Seeing, that it was another. Image that could fit into my. That. Images. Within images series. And. I live by that holders I. Had. This battery. Operated with, a long. Shaft, that you. Could. Bend. And twist and, I. Thought it would be an, interesting. Use. Of that to, photograph. Within. A pack. Of paper and, see. What the results, would be that, these spots. Of light would. Happen. Through. Exposure. Of, this. Light, probe, after. Drilling holes in and into. The box of prints but, it's interesting the way the light migrates, out from. From. The center, like. If I had, exposed it longer these things that circles. Would have been greater, I suppose. All. 50, sheets could be exhibited, but and you'd. See different degrees of that, light, spreading, but. I don't know if that would be so terribly interesting, I think, I would get a little boring, and have it in a way I'm. Always interested in sequential. Images and. I've. Done them in different ways what. I like is to, contain. Them in one final image rather than spreading them out da. Da da da da you know left to right the, light is constant, so it's, the exposure that gives, the variation and, the intensity, I had. A feeling, of you know how, emotion. Increases, that kind, of representation, of that you. Know oh it. Intensifies. This. Piece reveals, the actual skirt that was used in the photograph, I like that idea of, having the subject. And the photograph, contained. Within the. Same piece and also. I was interested in, what. Things. Going. Beyond the edges of the frame and it's a very intimate image, like, school. Boys fantasy have, seen through clothes x-ray, vision, or and all that sort of thing this. Image is a, tribute. To Tina, Madani who. Was Edward. Weston's, mistress. In Mexico. Quite, an accomplished, photographer and. She also, was. Politically. Active, in. Mexico. And the, other person. Represented, here is Barnett. Newman, it's a portrait, of him by Orry Penn who also did a whole series of, cigarette. Butts and magnified. Them to great sizes. And. I, thought I'd get it put in a pseudo. Smoked. Feather, there so, it's an homage to it's. A edward weston photograph. Of Tina and, Irving. Ten of, Newman. Which, I admired. Both of them as photographers. So it was an homage to them and the people. He. Photographed, this image has gotten a lot of exposure, and, I, wonder. When people come and they see it in that size I, don't know what their reaction, is I had to conform, of course to the postcard, size of the, colored images, although, I mean I could have copied the postcard.
And Made a larger, piece but, I wanted, to have. The real thing, something. About the. Real object, I just. Like the feeling of that actual. Postcard, and in, time it'll probably. Fade, you, know it's probably stated, some now I could only find three. Postcards. They were done about ten years prior to my black, and white photograph, I started. Doing these in 68. 69. And I was interested in finding. Older. Postcards. Than the, time I used. Them all so. I could introduce color, into, my work and. I like the way the color and the black and white work. Together I could, make a little drama. Out of it through the figures, deal. With the Chicago, skyline. And the changes, in the skyline, that had happened similar. To that. Supermarket. Parking lot what it does to space and time and. In this image. Is. What, I am very, interested, in the final, effect of those two, two. Factors, representing. Spaces. Some. That are there in some of that aren't. Seventy, nine I was interested, in making. A an artist book and I was thinking about what would be appropriate what. I was interested in it was things, coming, together and touching. When. The book was closed, so that. This. Loaf of bread became, you. Know like, eighth. Of an inch thick, when. It was all closed but, just the feeling, of what of. Those, things touching, it and together, touching. Each other. When. The book was closed. Interested. In me I could have used other things but it, seemed that a loaf of bread was the most appropriate and luckily. One. Of the loaves when, I cut into it it had a yeast, hole which, acts, as a climax, it's kind of like a, traditional. Story, as a beginning, a middle, climax. An end and it's, like a flipbook to, that. Doesn't function as well as tiny. Flipped open books but it's a book to dealing. With some. Basic. Thing that we. Use. For. Nutrition. So. I was interested in what could happen what would happen inside, though a loaf of bread and, I started cutting, them and that loaf. Worked. I guess I would have gone, on and bought. Some more loaves if. That. Hadn't happened this. Book is a book, of my my, first son Matthew, he was as I, explained, in that other image, of him holding the Polaroid he was very active. And, very. Curious about things. So. I I. Photographed. Him for. Years. I would. Be babysitting, my. Mother advice, versa you know. It. Had time to follow. Him around and. Just. See what he would do, document. His life and, this, is my first, photograph, I've made of him as. An infant a man. Never experiences. Birth, or having a baby a, baby, growing, inside of them. Kind. Of like I was, wanting. To, kind. Of visually. Suggest. That but, also that he'd be contained, within my. Shadow and, I it was like a dual. Portrait, I'm talking, about this particular. Image and then, I just redid. It at a later time. This. Is like fussing. Around with nature, I painted. These vines. So. That they would separate, from, the. Rest of the, scene. And I, inserted. This tropical, scene, which is in, opposition, to, what is there. It's a painted, background, that or that's used in portrait. Studios. Set. Someone in front of that, photograph. Them I had, started, prior. To this. Photographing. Leaves. In. Nature, and when. I was when. I first started doing landscape. Work I would. See, the Sun picking, out certain things if, it was strong, sunlight, picking. Out certain, parts. Of the. Foilage. Of. Of. The wood the. Trees and every bush is and. By the time I would set up my camera, the. Sun Sun, had shifted, enough so, it, was. No longer the, picture I wanted to make so. So. I thought, well, I would just paint. The leaves. To. Simulate. Sunlight. Striking, them. And there, and the sun's not going to move its going to stay there for my photograph. So. That I started. Messing with nature that, way I came. Upon this when I was out in Colorado my, daughter lives out there and I go to visit her so I would go around and, photograph, while I was visiting I came upon this camp, it had been a campfire and someone, had used this. Paper. To start the fire and, it. Reminded, me of Robert, Heinekens, use, of the, media. He. Was, hardly. Ever made a photograph, of his own did. Always use, images. From the media to produce. His pieces so. That, it's. An homage to him, I was, taught the history of photography by, Beaumont Newhall, when I was at the Rochester. Institute of, Technology. And he. Was such a great. Historian. And. He, really, made. Me love the history of photography and. So I produced. A series that, I still continue dealing with the history of photography and this, is homage.
To. Edward. Weston. Who. Photographed, a, lot of new ladies, I know on. The sand I just, wonder how uncomfortable. That might have been, lying. Juden, hot, sign-outs, and that they. Produced, some really, just, very memorable, images. So. I I, deduce. Mine an, homage to him Kodak. Used to, in, their, advertising. Which and it show a corner. That, was curled. So it's in. Reference to that. Ability. For. Photography. To very closely duplicate. An. Image of an object my. First attempt, at. Actually. Using, a photograph. Within. Another. Photograph and, it's a series of Polaroids, from a distance. Fairly. Close up and then very close up it's, my. Of. Containing. A sequence. Within one, final, piece you. Know this is only about four, by three and, a half inches, about. That, size and, give you an idea this, is similar, to the, Washington. Monument I spent, a year teaching, photography. In Sweden, in a, school. Of, art. And design we. Flew over there, but then took, an ocean liner back and that's the ocean, liner that I came, back at, which isn't. Really, important. Rather. There, could be any any, ship it just happened to be the one I travel. Down I want to create this kind, of magical, thing of lifting. Something out of the water this giant, hand again, -. I, think, that's what it's about. And. My. Inclusion. In. The photograph, I'm. Not very good at titles, so I used the title. The. Work where it was made so. This was made that's, Lake Ontario. But. It looks like the ocean. You.
2018-09-13 08:51
