x003 . Martin Parr

"Leisure, consumption and communication are the concepts that this British photographer has been researching for several decades now on his worldwide travels. In the process, he examines national characteristics and international phenomena to find out how valid they are as symbols that will help future generations to understand our cultural peculiarities. Parr enables us to see things that have seemed familiar to us in a completely new way. In this way he creates his own image of society, which allows us to combine an analysis of the visible signs of globalisation with unusual visual experiences. In his photos, Parr juxtaposes specific images with universal ones without resolving the contradictions. Individual characteristics are accepted and eccentricities are treasured."

"Martin Parr sensitises our subconscious and once we've seen his photographs, we keep on discovering these images over and over again in our daily lives and recognising ourselves within them."

Thomas Welski

Luxury
Martin Parr

"This series of photographs shows the different ways people display their wealth."

"Traditionally the portrayal of poverty has been the domain of the "concerned photographer", but I photograph wealth in the same spirit. When the new emerging middle classes demand and receive the luxury goods that so many of us take for granted, it will put considerable pressure on the world's resources. We are seeing the first manifestations of this: soaring oil prices brought on in part by exceptional demand from China and India; food prices escalating as crops are diverted into biofuels."

"When the photographs are exhibited these things are not always stated, but I am happy to share the ultimate political motive behind the new body of work."

x002 . American Express Kept a (Very) Watchful Eye on Charges

American Express Kept a (Very) Watchful Eye on Charges
by Ron Lieber
Published: January 30, 2009
The New York Times

x001 . Class Dismissed

Class Dismissed
by Sandra Tsing Loh
March 2009
the Atlantic

Week 020: a b & c

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Week 019: a b and c

Whenever I take the #15 bus at night and get off in front of Smiley's, I'm fascinated by the goings-on within the laundromat. These are a few of the snapshots that I took recently as I was looking in. I'm kind of interested in making a photographic body of work that documents the after-dark activity that takes place at Smiley's, which happens to be open 24-hours a day. Are people there at 3 and 4 in the morning? The people are just doing their laundry, but does their laundry say something about them? What does the laundromat culture say about the larger, neighboring community?

"Smiley's opened sometime in the early '50s, when Colfax was the cultural epicenter of Denver. The only laundromat for miles, Smiley's was expanded to allow hundreds of loads at once, and it wasn't long before doing laundry at Smiley's was kind of a social event. Smiley's has changed right along with the demographics of the area, through the recession in the '80s and the influx of migrant workers to the neighboring apartment houses."

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Week 018: one two & three

ONE*
Michael Corridore: Angry Black Snake
January 30, 2009 - March 7 2009
Australian Centre for Photography


"While their bodies struggle to deal with the uncomfortable conditions, their faces remain transfixed by the events going on just beyond the frame. For Corridore, the race itself is unimportant: 'I did not wish to document or comment on those events. I was interested in the spectator's responses to the shifting conditions of their environments, their moments of unease when they lose connection to a tangible landscape.'"

*I'm realizing that I like this type of "honest" photograph of the human experience. I like the underlying humor captured by this photo: people not having fun having fun.

TWO**
Sanja Pahoki: Cub separated from spooked polar bear
January 23, 2009 - March 21, 2009
Centre for Contemporary Art


"Cub separated from spooked polar bear is Sanja Pahoki’s latest investigation into mother-child relationships, mental illness and language. The exhibition is based on media reportage of two polar bear cubs that were hand-reared by German zookeepers after being rejected by their mothers."

**Immediately, this images seems both funny and stupid. I like that this exhibition deals with a controversial subject in a light way.

THREE***
Beyond the Familiar: Photography and the Construction of Community
September 20, 2008 - March 8, 2009
Williams College Museum of Art


"Beyond the Familiar: Photography and the Construction of Community provokes dialogue about the role of photography in the construction of cultural identity."

"This exhibition draws together the work of 10 artists from throughout the history of photography who have endeavored to reveal the character of an entire population through images of representative individuals. Included is work from the 19th century by Felice Beato and Peter Henry Emerson; from the 20th century by Edward Curtis, Robert Frank, David Goldblatt, Barbara Norfleet, August Sander, and Aaron Siskind; and recent work by Tina Barney and Zwelethu Mthethwa."

"Each of these artists have defined a group–whether by race, class, occupation, or neighborhood–and depicted individuals in a manner that moves beyond portraiture. Instead, each artist explores personal identity in the larger context of social groups."

***Because I'm currently exploring collective cultural identity in my work, I was immediately drawn to the concept behind this exhibition.

Week 018: a b & c

I'm realizing that I like looking in and out of windows. These photos were taken looking-through the peep hole in a front door. I like the hidden/private nature of these perspectives.

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