camera obscura
Interesting to think that the idea of photography started long before there was ever a way to commit permanent light images to a medium. Camera obscura and a host of other names come to mind – all dark little rooms with little holes and “flipped curiosities”. Not meaning of course to trivialize achievements of great minds once fixated on flipped curiosities. For it was these men I assume, whose perseverance throughout the ages has lead us through the eras of Daguerre and Talbot and Kodak – to produce the imagery that inspires, symbolizes and documents many major aspects and aspirations of our lives today.
Imagery people love to talk =) I’m told that in the 1900’s photographers were referred to as “painters free of talent for brush strokes”, not only because they were viewed with contempt by the paint brush elite, but also because the art had simply not yet established itself. This kind of thinking continues today whereas we often hear – “this photo looks like a painting” tacitly assigning title of standard to one form over another. The irony of the matter is that even this attitude is being drawn into the flipping room these days, whereas the opposite – “…painting looks like a photo” is now also commonly heard. So then, as the means evolve, scuffle over legitimacy among the visual arts is nothing new – and is, in and of itself perhaps, the essential driver of dynamic, refreshing discourse and growth of the crafts.
To me the term camera or light-box in the largest sense still refers to a simple tool to learn to use, and sometimes to love as I do, my old Pentax primes. A tool not only to commit light to physical film, bits or canvas but also one that will help to render whole realities.
documentation retrospective : 26.3.2017 – this simple documentary format attempts to convey more of the dancer’s personality. Functionally, the video was made for other purposes and for dancers who know. A brief departure from the otherwise common full-height capture offers its own unique rewards, making it all more about the person and less about space and props. Finally rendered in old style, the normal viewer gets a chance to enjoy the gift of imagination.
inspiration : the glow of an eternal love story, samia gamal and a music I only understand visually.
featured artist : amber. costume : Atelier Sarah – Träume zum Tanzen, Berlin.
music : Kharamana. composer : Farid Al Atrache. Layali el Sharq Ensemble – Classical Egyptian Music, for Raqs Sharqi, by Layali El Sharq Music, UK.
project event : shoot – 26.3.2017. project event contributors : amber as subject | sandie as makeup-artist | iAntonio as everything else.
iantonio - person 