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#artworld “Book Manipulation” 

What is the article about? 

Laura Juan is a graphic designer from Paris, France. After an internship in Montreal, she asked herself what she can do to break with the laws of “normal”  book design. Hereby form is the most important part of her work. For “New Year-New Round” Laura decided to explore how the book could function in two simultaneous ways. Firstly, as a publication that presents content page-by-page but secondly, as a book that transforms into an object that reflects its contents, which is a really interesting and new way to think about. She said, “I love to manipulate books and to explore the idea behind its manipulation,” she explains. “With graphics, you can tell one story while the manipulation might tell you another or emphasize the one already developed.” And through combining experimental printing and binding techniques, Laura’s series New Year-New… elevates the book as we know it. By transforming it from something that contains content into an object where shape and form are as important as what is printed on the pages, Laura introduces an extra, and crucial, element for the delivery of her concepts. 

Why I have chosen this article? 

I think as a photographer, book design is a really important part of your work. Thinking of long-term projects that maybe finally end up in a publication, designing the book will take maybe the biggest part of the work. To think of new ways to present and work with the medium of books is thereby crucial. More and more we are forced to find new ways to present content and tell a story in an interesting way. Laura Juan’s work is for me a got starting point in this discussion and in my own thinking process. 

[fabiankasper22]

#photographyworld “1 Month 1 Location”

What is the article about? 

In this short interview Jamie Hawkesworth, a fashion/documentary photographer talks about his project at the Preston bus station. Before he graduated from the Preston School of Arts he spent one month at Preston’s main bus station to really take a closer look at how people use this public space for their own. You would think it would be mostly a place where people just pass by but many of them spent there often their whole day, drinking coffee reading the newspaper and so on. So you can say that is more than just a place to wait for your bus or get of your bus and directly go further with your traveling. By taking a lot of time, Jamie Hawkesworth slowed down his process and had the change to look on every single little detail that makes this place so unique. 

Why have chosen this video? 

For me, this project implements exactly what I want to do more by myself. Taking time to looking at people and find things that makes them interesting, like a hairstyle, the clothes they were etc. But all in all, I really enjoy Jamie’s photography a lot. It is pure, the colors are not popping out everything seems to have its place. Hawkesworth sense for portraiture is incredible, simply by letting people pose how they want, it always seems natural and that's the big point. He is a big inspiration for me.  

[fabiankasper22]

#socialworld The right time to act

What is the article about?

After the mass shooting in Florida more and more protesters form to speak up for a change in the American gun law.  The Guardian points some important points out in this article. From how many people in the US own a gun and that 3% of them own half of America's guns, together they form so-called “super gun owners” which own often more than 17 guns. Also the cost of banning semi automatical rifles and buying them back from their owner which would cost over a billion of dollars is mentioned in the article. All in all you can see how much work their the US would have to do to make the country just a little bit more save. 

Why I find this article interesting? 

In Europe, we don’t really understand why you should own a gun, and the totality of the whole gun discussion seems a little bit abstract. Every time I hear from a mass shooting in the news I feel a certain anger. I simply can’t understand why it has to happen again and again and nothing changes, even more, their have been changes to make it even easier to buy and carry a gun in open space. Also it is something we in Europe can’t really influence, it seems like a conflict that the people in the US have to fight by them selfs. But and also especially because it is such an unclear and abstract topic that most people in Europe simply can’t understand it would make an interesting photographic project.  

[fabiankasper22]

#photographyworld "If you can’t explain what you’re doing in one sentence, it’s hardly worth doing."

What is the article about? 

In the article written by Anne Bourgeois-Vignon for the Magnum Photos Agency, Martin Parr (Magnum member himself) points out what are the main points to get more successful. 1.Tell a personal story to engage your audience; 2.Find a connection; 3.Know why you’re making the work; 4.Focus on the story and the career will come; 5.Hold on to your original enthusiasm; those are the 5 points Martin Parr describes. By that, he simply points out what it takes to gain maybe kind of the right mindset to make your work more successful, things like “You have to get out there and do the usual channels of photo reviews, showing your work around. Someone will get it and it will start to happen,” are a good example for that. The world of photography can be so hectic and often for a single person that is completely new in the field a confusing and really hard field to get known, by sharing experience, like Martin Parr does, other young photographers could stick to that in the begin of their career and focus on the things that are maybe more important.

Why I have chosen this article? 

 I for myself often find it difficult to fully understand or kind of define for myself what could be the next step in my work. I think for me the biggest challenge is to take more time and do not stress, give your personal projects time to grow and by showing it also to other people (like on portfolio reviews) getting useful tips which could lead to deepening your project. For me this article was really helpful and kind of a stress taker. 

[fabiankasper22]

#artworld Graphic Inspiration, Can I Use It Also For My Portfolio?

What is the article about? 

In “Its Nice That” review of the 2017 top graphic designs, that they picked, you have a nice and overview over 25 completely different graphic approaches. For example the Swiss graphic design studio Feixen, which created a digital interactive poster, which combines form with simplicity and colors. This kind of overviews can give you nice inspiration and ideas for own projects. All in all you can see the diversity in the field of graphic design how creativity can give a certain topic more meaning when you present it in a nice way. 

Why I have chosen the article? 

Graphic design is for me a field that I still have to explore. It interests me a lot, mostly in combination with designing of books. There are so many different ways to design something and also print it. When I only thing about the Riso print and what possibilities you have with it, it seems like a completely new world is opening up in front of me. It would be my goal for the future to gain skills in that field so I can support my photography and creative vision with that. 

[fabiankasper22]

#socialworld New Year and still no resolution  

What is the article about?

The Wij Zijn Here collective formed over 5 years ago when a group of refugees most of them from Africa were thrown out of their shelter and had to sleep on the street. They started to squad in buildings and formed over the last few years a strong collective. They are over 100 people now and live in 5 different buildings, one only for female refugees. With demonstrations and winning a lot of solitary from the Dutch society, they made more and more aware. 5 years but nothing really changed, many of them have today a permission to stay but their situations never changed. There were offers from local politicians to move them to ex-prisons but (of course) they said no, so squatting is till now their only change avoid living on the street.  

Why I have chosen this article?

I am personally and also as a photographer really interested and involved in the subject of migration. I am more and more interested in the connection between time/waiting and refugees. What does it mean to escape war and live in a country where freedom exists but you not really feel excepted. You wait to get asylum, to start a new life and to get part of the society you dream to live in. From a psychological point, this is a really critical and hard time for migrants. There are things like post-traumatic stress disorder that can lead to severe physical damage. 

[fabiankasper22]

#photographyworld Jamie Hawkesworth in Huis Marseille 

What is the post about? 

Jamie Hawkesworth exhibited his work from 9.9.17-3.12.17 in Huis Marseille and it was amazing. From his first big work “Preston Bus Station” that brought him international recognition to his latest works, the visitors became a nice overview of big parts of Hawkesworth work. The room where “Preston Bus Station” was exhibited was really interesting because you could imagine the whole body of work. In total 118 A4 prints were showed, I had the feeling to have a nice overview of the different people and characters who wait at the bus station to travel further. All in all the prints were from amazing quality and presented Hawkesworth sense for color, shadows, and contrast pretty well. In another room, Jamie displayed a short movie that he took during is travel through Columbia and Hawaii. On 3 screens he showed scenes from nature, details and broader overviews. Amazing was the sound, you could hear rain falling on a roof and the far sound from thunder, all in all, the sound was not too loud more like a quiet but still recognizable background sound. 

Why I have chosen this article?

I find Jamie Hawkesworth portraits and sense for capturing moments that show that kind of display peoples character really amazing. Has an amazing sense of color, often with a slide tendency to orange, his analogue workflow is on a high level. The video from Colombia/Hawaii inspired me a lot especially with the connection of sound. All in all the exhibition was totally worth it to visit! 

[fabiankasper22]

#artworld Controversal 

What is the article about? 

In the article Jerry Saltz one of the most famous art critics writes about the ongoing discussion of banning the painting “Therese Dreaming” by Balthus from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. On the painting you can see a young woman lounges, leaning backward, one foot on the ground, another raised on a stool so as to hike her skirt high enough to glimpse her underwear. Some have suggested the folds of fabric are labia. Others that a man should never make this kind of work, so sexually uncomfortable. The petition states “Given the current climate around sexual assault and allegations that become more public each day, in showcasing this work for the masses, The Met is romanticizing voyeurism and the objectification of children.” The discussion is important because it shows the different opinions of the public. The question is what is too far and what is still okay? Jerry Saltz notes at the end of his article: “One of the things that makes art so rich, infinite, and all-embracing is that there’s always something to offend someone somewhere sometime. When that ends, so will art.” 

Why?

I can see how emotional art is can be every day at university. By showing different work every day, mostly sharing it with other fellow students, discussions are the most important thing. And sometimes it gets really emotional. loud and hektik, because we have different opinions, a different background that forms us. In the example of Balthus, we can see the same, a part of the society see it as art that belongs in the museum to display it to the public audience, others see it as a picture that shows voyeurism, and sexualize a teenage girl. For me personally, the picture is on the border. It feels a little bit uncomfortable for me to look at the picture so I would say my personal view I would not make paint the picture that way if I would be the artist. In the end, I have to say, by openly talking about things like that, we as a society can find together borders, that separates art from work that goes too far in every kind of sense, Balthus “Theresa Dreaming” is a good example for that. 

[fabiankasper22]

#socialworld We need a change!

What is the Video about? 

FIve years ago maybe the most horrifying and brutal mass shooting in the American history happened. In the Sandy Hook Elementary school, 20 children between 6-7 died, 5 teachers, the mother of the perpetrator and the perpetrator himself. Five years nothing changed, and since Trump is president the regulation on gun control will not be expanded. We have a big problem and that is money before human lives. The NRA controlling big parts of the US-Senat, by donating big amounts of money for the campaign of politicians who are supporting to weaken gun control. Obama fought for it with not a lot of success blamed by the minority of Democrats in the Senate. In the end, we have to ask ourselves, what does it need for a change. The weird thing is that a majority of the public supports gun control but the Senat does not hear them. So what does it need them to wake up?! 

Why I have chosen this article?

It’s so cruel, so disgusting to see what money driven people and in this case, politicians can do. Supporting something which is so obviously wrong, let’s me dispair. I can simply not understand it. This is one of these things that feel like you would run against a wall. But the amazing thing is, like also in the case of the mass shooting in Sandy Hooks, there are parents who lost their kids during the shooting and besides all the grief and hopelessness they stand up and fight. They try to inform and communicate so people get sensitized. And that’s so inspiring! 

[fabiankasper22]

#photographyworld The Right Mindset

What is the article about? 

Tyler Mitchell 22 and already photographing for Vice I-D, Dazed and Office Magazine. You can say he is already pretty successful but for his age what is true, but the question is, what is behind it? DO we have to be at the right place at the right time? Or do we have to have the best portfolio or the best arguments so that clients book us? 

Why I have chosen this article?

I personally think that hard work is the key to everything, but with certain other things that make you, in the end, more professional. Like traveling and exploring, taking risks or just feeling ready to present your work to others and be confident with that. Tyler Mitchell is a good example for that. A person that is for his young age already so driven by his ideas and confident to show that he is ready. For me just another example to work harder on me. 

[fabiankasper22]

#artworld The Yemen Bansky 

What is the article about? 

Murad Subay uses the war in Yemen and all the bad things that are happening because of that to create street art. It is his way to make aware and show people what is going on. The only few newspapers that are left in Yemen are all censored. So he had to think about other ways to show problems his country is facing. Often he always invites people through facebook to get part of creating the artwork so they can communicate and share their stories. 

Why I have chosen this article?

 In my opinion, it shows even their exist censorship you should never give up. There are always ways to use your creativity to make aware and start a movement that helps to raise a critical voice.  

[fabiankasper22]

#socialworld Jeremy Scahill Yemen hell

What is the article about? 

In the latest, The Intercept podcast Jeremy Scahill talks from minute 4 on about the famine in Yemen. Supported by the US and other western countries the Saudi Arabian military is bombing Yemen for the last 3 years. The situation for the people is getting more and more hopeless. A massive break out of colara where over 500 000 people are infected and bombing every day. The thing is, it is not in the news, nobody knows and talks about it. 

Why I have chosen this article?

Things like that are a shame! I just can ask myself why?! Why are we so arrogant and more support such a cruel thing? This is exactly topics I am the most concerned and interested in! I want to do something! There are so many things going on that are not right. So why don’t we stand up and start to do something? 

[fabiankasper22]

#artworld Human Flow

Ai WeiWei made a film about what it means to be a refugee to be escaping war and being under the constant stress of moving from one place to another with having a real home anymore. I already posted a lot on the topic of migration because it is really important for me and this movie shows again how important it is for our society. We need to overthink our own western European acting and thinking when it comes to the treatment of refugees. Especially in a time where we drift more and more in a national conservative rightwing state of mind.

Why I have chosen this article?

Ai Weiwei was an inspiration to me for a long time now. He does what he really cares about, he is strong, thoughtful and full of energy. He never gives up and grew to a strong voice worldwide, even though he lives in a country where every criticism against the regime get turned down. 

[fabiankasper22]

#Social World Death Penalty

What is the article about? 

The Intercept journalist Liliana Segura writes about the again failed execution of a death candidate in an Ohia state prison. On November the 15 Alva Campell a 69-year-old prisoner. After searching or a vein for more 1 1/2 the executors gave up. Campell already in a risky health condition, with a long list of health issues, he is not even able to breath when he lies down, but the execution was still held, without success. But what does this say about the death penalty itself? The voices against the death penalty getting louder and louder over the last years, especially after the cruel execution of the Dennis McGuire on the 16th of January 2014. He died just after 26 minutes after being in a lot of pain. It is not the right way to tread people, even though they did cruel things, murder, robbery, rape etc. The whole system in the US has to be changed and forbidding the death penalty is just the tip of the iceberg. It’ s with something more obvious, treading kids the right way, giving them a future and let them grew up in a safe environment. Alva Campell is a good example for that (also explained in the article) he had a really bad childhood and even if he is already 69 years old he shows a still problematic thing. There are many kids growing up under a lot of violence and that can be seen as the starting point of violence that the person will use also in the future. So, in the end, to keep people from ending up in prison, we need a new system, a new way of thinking. 

Why I have chosen this article?

I saw a few really interesting documentaries over the last couple of years, dealing with the US prison system. That it is unbelievable expensive and many inmates who are come free are sentenced for another crime in the next 1 1/2 (according to a statistic). This article shows again that we have to change our system and the way we treat people who did something bad. I personally believe in a change.   

[fabiankasper22]

#Photography World Thoughts on Photography

What is the book about? 

In Alex Webb and his wife, Rebecca Norris Webb worked together with aperture on this nice book. The amazing thing is, that you not only see their amazing work but also the gibe advise and thoughts on and about street photography. The different short texts are more philosophical and should be seen more as a beginning point for your own thoughts. So a more abstract way to think about a certain problem or question concerning street photography that you by yourself, in the end, deepen and solve by yourself. Like the little story on page 24-25 with the title walking and waiting for the time you need to find the right moment, beautifully told by an Alex Webb and an experience he had with Josef Koudelka. What is also nice to mention is that every different person (artist) that they talk about in their short textes, has also his/her own picture in the book, like Henri Cartier Bresson or painters like Francisco Goya. Also, their are often quotes that are fitting the whole aspect of the text. 

Why I have chosen this article?

It is beautify told and just makes you feel more excited about photography again. Every single text is a short story, adventure etc that they had and that is only possible with and through photography. Every time I have a hard moment or struggle in photography I take this book and just read one or two of this short texts and I feel better again. 

[fabiankasper22]

#Artworld 520 Hours

What is the article about? 

Marina Abramovic talks in the Dazed article about her most intense performance. In 2010 she was sitting for 3 months every day between 6-8 hours in MoMA, looking into strangers faces that came by it would sit in front of her on a chair. The performance was called “The Artist is Present” and broke not only the visitor's record in MoMa but also it broke with certain stigmas in Art. The concept so simple but in the end psychological and physiological extremely exhausting for the Artist itself. It's not the first performance by Abramovic that went extremely far but the “The Artist is Present” was something that nobody ever did before. 

“When I came to the end of the show, I stood up after three months (and you have to know, I sat the entire opening hours of the museum eight hours a day, Friday ten hours a day and I never moved, never drank water, never went to the bathroom, just observed humans) So when I stood up, in this moment there were 70,000 people in the museum and this is when everything changed for me. I realised I had reached alevel of audience who really represented community.“

Why I have chosen this article?

I think I’m not the only one posting something about Marina Abramovic, but that only shows how important she is for the artworld. She has an unbelievable power to unite people. Like her performance in 2016 in Athens. She breaks the complexity of human existing down to simple things and finds a key to move us. And that's an amazing gift. 

[fabiankasper22]

#photographyworld A strong female voice 

What is the article about?

Today I want to talk about Susan Meiselas book “In History”. An amazing 355 site strong book published by Steidl in cooperation with the Internation Center of Photography in 2008. A biographical book about Meiselas carrier, her beginning, first international recognition and getting a member of Magnum Photos as one of the first Woman (after Inge Morath, Eva Arnold, and Martine Franck). The book gives an amazing insight into Meiselas work, for example, her first big project “Carnival Strippers from 1972-1975. In the book between long interviews, you also find scans of Meiselas workbook, negatives, and contact sheets.

Why I have chosen this article?

You not often get the chance to get such a deep look into such a long time period of work from a certain photographer. It's interesting to read about her struggles thoughts etc. It gives you hope to find solutions for your own struggles but also new ideas on how to approach a topic. Totally worth it to buy!