Paul Graham's new bookwork, FILMS

Still on the subject of Paul Graham, if you happen to be in Paris on Thursday night, March 31st, go along to Le Bal for the introduction of Mack Books first programme of books. Offerings include Paul Graham's new book FILMS and books by Roe Ethridge, Taryn Simon, Lars Tunbjörk, Dan Holdsworth, Mark Dion, and Gerry Johansson.

Paul Graham is noted for his ability to turn ideas on their head and to make the usual profound and the profound unusual, FILMS will be no exception.

Films - Paul Graham
Films is Paul Graham's eulogy to the physical material of photography: film. The 20th century's greatest medium has undergone a catastrophic decline over the past decade as digital cameras have swept aside the traditional process of taking photographs. Film has died: Kodacolor, Fujicolor, Tri-X, Kodachrome, Ektacolor – all evocative names for any photographer – are now gone or fading fast. Yet this magical material is a true product of both science – silver salts suspended in gelatin emulsion on celluloid base, and magical alchemy – it could capture light. Film became one of the defining materials of the 20th century, and just as oil paint or marble in their time, it has been the medium used by each and every great artist of photography and film making. While examining his past 30 years of work for the 2009 survey exhibition and book, Graham became enraptured with the material of his craft, and began to reflect upon the physical substance by which he, and indeed all photographers, made their images. Besides scanning his images for the survey, he also began to scan the blank film ends and unexposed frames from each body of work to gather an alternative survey, a 'negative retrospective' of his practice. What first appears to be abstract dots, blobs or colour forms, are in fact simply greatly magnified images of the raw film emulsion – the color dye clouds formed in the exposure and development of film. These images are not abstract at all, but just extreme close-ups of the film's structure – the red, green and blue chemical couplers that form film emulsion, the basic building blocks of each and every image. Their beauteous complication, the wonder of their granular form, irrespective of what they describe, is given here for each of us to enjoy.

Graham presents us a timely tribute to the passing of film. The grains, color dye clouds, the black and white silver crystals, make images of stunning beauty, simplicity and scientific record. Part wistful homage, part farewell, part visual wonder, 'Films' is a book for anyone who engaged with photography in the 20th century.

Design by Paul Graham, 24 x 32 cm portrait, 64 pp, 4 colour, €35 / £30 / $45

ISBN 978-1-907946-02-8

Paul Graham workshop, Santander, Spain, July 2011

PHOTOGRAPHY IS EASY, PHOTOGRAPHY IS DIFFICULT and also an amazing experience if you happen to get the chance to attend a workshop with Paul Graham. Well here's your chance! The best part of 2 weeks with Paul Graham in Santander Spain. And what's more it's FREE.

Here is all you need to know:
Applicants must be experienced in photography, and have demonstrated a commitment and knowledge of the medium over many years. This is not a workshop for beginners.
This workshop deals with photography and the world – with making images from life as-it-happens, with the visual language of seeing, perceiving the world and our place within it. The work and goals of each participant will be discussed, and encouraged. Attention will be paid to the editing process – with forming the work into a meaningful whole – for both publication and exhibition –as an integral part of the creative process. Learning to deal with scale, presence, sequence, pause, balance/ imbalance. How does one help the work ‘arrive’, and be all it could be?

DIRECTOR: The workshop will be led by Paul Graham, with some special invited guests, who will come to talk during the 2 weeks. DATE: From 4 to 15 July 2011. TIMETABLE: The workshop will be from 10.00 to 20.00. VENUE: Santander, Spain: Villa Iris, Pérez Galdós 47. FEE: Successful applicants will pay 80 € to reserve their place, which will be returned at the end of the workshop. MATERIALS: Participants will be supplied with the basic materials proposed by the workshop director. Participants are expected to provide any other special additional materials they require. The materials used by students during the workshop must be removed by them when it concludes. ASSISTANCE: Participants not local resident of Cantabria will be provided with free shared accommodation and 320 €, towards their food and living costs, which will be paid to them at the end of the workshop. At the end of the workshop the 80 € reservation fee will also be returned to all participants. Applicant’s principle expense will be transport to and from Santander.
APPLICATIONS: Applications may be submitted online at www.fundacionbotin.org or on paper. For organizational issues and valuation, the documentation of the
applicant must be submitted in DIN A4, should not have staples, nor be bound.
Attached documentation as catalogues and leaflets will not be accepted. Any application that does not conform to this standard will be rejected. DOCUMENTS REQUIRED: Photocopy of Identity Card or Passport, clearly showing portrait of applicant, date of birth and nationality. Personal information (address, telephone, email). Curriculum vitae. Text in which applicants must explain their reasons for wanting to take part in the workshop. Images of recent work may be submitted. Physical material of 10-20 press prints, catalogue, zero value artists publication, must be A4 or smaller. or: CD/DVD holding JPG or PDF, or: link to website with clear indication precisely which work you are applying with. In case of audiovisual projects, the artist can submit a DVD accompanying the dossier required. The dossier will not be returned after the application process, so do not send unique or valued material. Large/unique prints, catalogues and leaflets will not be accepted. Any application that does not conform to this standard will be rejected.
TIMELINE: The deadline for applications will close at 14.00 on 13th May 2011.
Ordinary mail applications must be received at the Fundación Botín (at calle Pedrueca 1, Santander, Spain) before 14.00 on 13th May 2011, and be clearly marked with “Paul Graham Workshop” on the envelope. The decision will be announced on or before 14 of June 2011. The reservation enrolment fee must be paid before the initiation of the workshop. LANGUAGE: The workshop will be conducted in English. SELECTION: The workshop director will select a maximum of 15 students. There shall be no right of appeal against the decision announced by the Fundación Botín.

GO FOR IT!

The 4th International Photobook Festival, Kassel, Germany

For anybody serious about the Photobook the 4th International Photobook Festival in Kassel will be the place to be. Taking place in the Documenta Hall and running from 1 - 5th of June, there is an action packed program.

Lecture, presentation, review and workshop programs will have wide international participation and offer many opportunities throughout the four festival days to network with photobook experts.

The lectures will present the latest developments and trends of the photobook market.
Internationally renowned photographers will showcase their work and the latest books. There will also be themed lectures such as ‘Germany and the Photobook’ and ‘The Latin American Photobook’. Lectures will take place on Saturday 4 June and Sunday 5 June.

Reviews will take place on Thursday 2 June and Friday 3 June. This year 20 international reviewers will appraisal portfolios or books. The three best works will receive prizes. Online bookings are now open.

Workshops and presentations will be part of a program on Thursday and Friday where there is the opportunity to discuss projects and learn from practical experience.

With the Dummy Award unpublished photobooks can be submitted in dummy form. All entered dummies will be shown electronically during the festival. The 50 best books will be exhibited. From these 50 titles the winners of the Dummy Award will be chosen. The 1st prize is a complete book production through our partner seltmann+soehne and a presentation in European Photography. The 2nd and 3rd prizes are valuable book productions by our partner Blurb. Special prizes are photobook dummy reviews by schaden.com / White Press. Entry closing date is on 20 April 2011.

Unpublished photobooks can be submitted for the Dummy Award 2011 until 20 April.

You can see the full program here: http://2011.fotobookfestival.org

Le Bal Paris presents a master class with Martha Rosler

Le Bal, Paris's newest and best serious photography venue continues its strategy of innovation with the inauguration of a series of master classes at SciencesPo. Their objective is to present the great figures of contemporary art; artists, theorists, historians and media experts who will speak out on issues the creation, dissemination and reception of images today.

The first master class will be presented by Martha Rosler an American artist born in 1943, and based in New York. Rosler works in video, photo-text, installation, and performance, as well as writing about art and culture. Her work and writing have been widely influential. She has lectured extensively nationally and internationally and teaches art at Rutgers University, the Städelschule in Frankfurt, and the European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland.
Rosler’s work is centered on everyday life and the public sphere, often with an eye to women's experience. Recurrent concerns are the media and war as well as architecture and the built environment, from housing and homelessness to systems of transport.

Wednesday April 6 at 7pm
Lecture in English, presented by Corinne Diserens, curator.
Chapsal amphitheater, rue Saint-Guillaume, 75007 Paris.

The image: © Martha Rosler, Red Stripe Kitchen (from the series 'Bringing the War Home: House Beautiful'), 1967–72

THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH by John Gossage

John Gossage has a new book "The Absolute Truth", a group of color photographs from California for his closest friend in photography Lewis Baltz, It will be launched on 30th March and is availablefor pre-order at info@superlabo.com. This will be good. Very good!

European Publishers Award for Photography 2011

In its eighteenth year, the European Publishers Award for Photography is a major initiative to encourage the publication of contemporary photography.
The 2011 Jury will be held in France with the publisher Actes Sud being project leader. Open to photographers world-wide, the competition is a collaboration between five European Publishers:

Actes Sud (France), Apeiron (Greece), Dewi Lewis Publishing (Great Britain), Kehrer Verlag (Germany), Peliti Associati (Italy).

The competition requires the submission of a substantial, completed and unpublished photographic book project. The winning project is published in book form simultaneously by each of the publishers in their own country and their own language—with a first print run of a minimum of 5,000 copies—in autumn 2011.
The Award ceremony will be held in July during the Rencontres internationales de la photographie d'Arles (France).

The competition is open to photographers of all nationalities. All photographic material must be completed and unpublished in book form other than as a digitally printed book in an edition of no more than 10 copies. Material must be original and be presented as a book project. Projects conceived as anthologies (rather than as clearly themed projects) are not acceptable. The photographer must hold the copyright in the work. Competitors may present the same project a maximum of twice.

Work may be presented in one of the following forms:
a) a book dummy plus up to 3 original prints or transparencies;
b) a set of sequenced photocopies or inkjets plus up to 3 original prints or transparencies.
Projects sent on disk will not be accepted.

The 2011 Jury will consist of the five publishers and a personality from the photography world. The publishers reserve the right to establish a pre-selection process prior to the final Jury.

Details and competition rules of the 2011 Award are now available online:
http://www.dewilewispublishing.com/EUROAWARD/EUROAWARD2011.html

Dewi Lewis Publishing, 8 Broomfield Road, Heaton Moor, Stockport SK4 4ND, England
www.dewilewispublishing.com

ONE DAY launches in Berlin

Following the launch of the cooperative book project ONE DAY during Paris Photo last November, ONE DAY will launch at the Kehrer Verlag space in Berlin tomorrow night.
Jessica Backhaus, Gerry Badger and Eva Maria Ocherbauer will be in Berlin for the event. I'm going to be there via Skype.
Here is the spread from Kehrer's Spring catalogue talking about the series, with John Gossage's knock out photograph on the left.

If you happen to be in Berlin tomorrow here is where to go:

Vice Versa
Immanuelkirchstr. 12
10405 Berlin
Deutschland
Fon: +49 (0)30 / 443 172-15
Fax: +49 (0)30 / 443 172-16

Richard Prince loses Fair Use argument

In December of 2008 photographer Patrick Cariou filed suit against Richard Prince, Gagosian Gallery, Larry Gagosian and Rizzoli International Publications in federal district court.

The suit came about after Prince appropriated 28 images from Patrick’s Yes,Rasta book for his Canal Zone exhibition at the Gagosian Gallery. Several of the pieces, were barely changed under the “artist’s” hand.

Yesterday, US District Judge Deborah A. Batts ruled that Prince had violated Carios's rights and that Prince's appropriation and "transformation" of the original work was an infringement of copyright.

The judge ruled that:
"That Defendants shall within ten days of the date of this Order deliver up for impounding, destruction, or other disposition, as Plaintiff determines, all infringing copies of the Photographs, including the Paintings and unsold copies of the Canal Zone exhibition book, in their possession, custody, or control and all transparencies, plates, masters, tapes, film negatives, discs, and other articles for making such infringing copies. That Defendants shall notify in writing any current or future owners of the Paintings of whom they are or become aware that the Paintings infringe the copyright in the Photographs, that the Paintings were not lawfully made under the Copyright Act of 1976, and that the Paintings cannot lawfully be displayed under 17 U.S.C. § 109(c)"


For comparison here are two images:

Now what about the Marlboro Men?

Walid Raad receives 2011 Hasselblad Award

The Hasselblad Foundation has announced the Lebanese/American photographer Walid Raad as the recipient of the 2011 Hasselblad Foundation International Award in Photography. The prize, consisting of SEK 1,000,000 (approximately USD 150,000). An exhibition of Raad's work, will open on 12 November 2011 at the Hasselblad Center at the Gothenburg Museum of Art, Sweden, where the Foundation has its head office.

The Foundation commented about their decision: 'Walid Raad is one of the most original and singular contemporary artists using photography. He has been widely acclaimed for his project 'The Atlas Group', in which Raad generated original ideas about the relationship between documentary photography, archive and history. In order to document and investigate Lebanon’s contemporary history, Raad developed innovative methods of approaching the imagery of war and the way political and social conflict can be explored in art. Through Raad’s work we are able to question the traditional iconography of war photography and speculate productively on visuality, memory and violence.'

Sri Lanka - 5 more pictures for good measure

BLACKPOOL AND THE FYLDE COLLEGE on line auction

The BA Photography students at Blackpool and the Fylde College are currently raising money for their graduate exhibitions which are to be held at Manchester’s Cube Gallery and The AOP Gallery in London.

Their on-line auction offers signed books and prints given by photographers such as Alec Soth, Stephen Gill, Tim Flach, Naomi Harris, Peter Granser, Chris Steele-Perkins, Seba Kurtis, Colby Katz and Jane Bown.

You can have a look here:
myworld.ebay.co.uk/blackpoolgraduateprintauction
www.blackpoolgraduateshow.co.uk

So support the photographers of tomorrow today!

Oh, and for good measure here's a Blackpool photograph from Chris Steele-Perkins that I really like.

Eikoh Hosoe at Kahmann Gallery Amsterdam

Paris based photo blogger and writer Marc Feustel has arranged a show of Eikoh Hosoe's work which will be showing at the Kahmann Gallery, Amsterdam from March 10 to May 9.

Eikoh Hosoe (細江 英公, Hosoe Eikō, born 18 March 1933 in Yonezawa, Yamagata)) is a Japanese photographer and filmmaker who emerged in the experimental arts movement of post-World War II Japan. He is known for his psychologically charged images, often exploring subjects such as death, erotic obsession, and irrationality. Through his friendships and artistic collaborations he is linked with the writer Yukio Mishima and 1960s avant-garde artists such the dancer Tatsumi Hijikata.

After attending The Tokyo College of Photography in the 1950s Hosoe, joined “Demokrato” an avant-garde artist's group led by the artist Ei Q, while still a student. In 1960, Hosoe created the Jazz Film Laboratory (Jazzu Eiga Jikken-shitsu) with Hijikata, Shuji Terayama, and Shōmei Tōmatsu. The Jazz Film Laboratory was a multidisciplinary artistic project aimed at producing highly expressive and intense works such as Hosoe's 1960 short black and white film Navel and A-Bomb (Heso to genbaku).

With Tatsumi Hijikata, Hosoe created Kamaitachi, a series of images that reference stories of a supernatural being — 'weasel-sickle' — that haunted the Japanese countryside of Hosoe's childhood. In the photographs, Hijikata is seen as a wandering ghost mirroring the stark landscape and confronting farmers and children.

With Mishima as a model, Hosoe created a series of dark, erotic images centered on the male body, Ordeal by Roses (Bara-kei, 1963). The series (set in Mishima's Tokyo house) positions Mishima in melodramatic poses. Mishima would follow his fantasies, eventually committing suicide by seppuku in 1970.

Hosoe has been the director of the Kiyosato Museum of Photographic Arts (Kiyosato, Yamanashi) since its opening in 1995.

Pascal Fellonneau at Final Galleri, Malmö, Sweden

Pascal Fellonneau is a Bordeaux based photographer and member of the Paris photo cooperative Get The Picture. Pascal has a show, Cold Cold Ground within the context of Fotografi i Fokus, The South Sweden Photography Biennial (Scania Photo Biennial) at Final Galleri, Malmö, Sweden. The exhibition opened this last weekend and runs until April 4. It is well worth a look....

Pascal's hard edged, precise photographs depict strange yet familiar landscapes devoid of humanity. The viewer is left with a feeling of foreboding and a sense that something unexpected is about to happen....

PARIS PHOTO moves to the Grand Palais

Paris Photo, now in it fifteenth year, is moving to the Grand Palais, a larger and more impressive location than its old home at the Carrousel du Louvre. The event will also have a new director, Julien Frydman who since 2006, was head of Magnum Photos Paris and since January 2011 a consultant for the LUMA Foundation for Le Parc des Ateliers in Arles. Frydman replaces Guillaume Piens, the former director.
The 2011 edition will run from November 9-13, 2011.
Perhaps this new and considerably larger venue will open the way for the participation of some new and more cutting edge galleries and also provide improved spaces for the Photobook dealers many of whom moved out last year to a new alternative space near Bastille.

Sri Lanka - five more photographs

Sri Lanka Mona Lisa

The young man who looked after the guest house where we stayed in the hill country town of Ella showed me the jigsaw he had just completed. It was of the Mona Lisa, although sadly one piece was missing. I asked him if he knew about the Mona Lisa and he knew nothing. Nothing of its cultural significance, not its name, who painted it and where it hangs. Nothing. Not surprising really given that I know nothing about the 13th century Buddha figures found in abundance in many of the spectacular and ancient Sri Lankan temples. Perhaps in this age of instant and all embracing communication we will begin to better understand the symbols and beliefs of other cultures.

Sri Lanka, first pictures

It's difficult to make pictures in Asia. On one hand there are photographs everywhere and yet nothing ever quite works. Perhaps it's because we are so used to observing our own culture that we can't see another except through extremes of distorted subjectivity. How to avoid the clichés and make pictures that rise above being holiday snaps.... Here are 5......

Sri Lanka - return

Back from Sri Lanka..... much seen, much photographed.... catch up time now. More posts follow very soon.....

The image: Dambulla Cave Buddha, photographed on February 21st